One by one, every hour, the miners were brought out

THE operation to free the Chilean miners trapped 700 metres underground for more than three months was running ahead of schedule last night, with rescuers predicting all 33 men could be above ground by morning.

• Manuel Gonzlez begins his descent towards the miners. Pic: AFP/Getty

One by one, the miners were brought to the surface to be greeted by their families, rescue workers and Chilean president Sebastin Piera, before being flown to hospital, where they will be kept under observation for 48 hours.

Initial predictions warned that the men may have been trapped for five months and not freed until Christmas, but a swift international rescue operation brought the date forward by more than nine weeks.

Chilean mining minister Laurence Golborne, who has updated onlookers on his Twitter account throughout the rescue, said the operation had taken less time than expected.

Millions of people watched the rescue from around the globe as it began when technical expert, Manuel Gonzlez, was lowered down the 624m shaft late on Tuesday night. Crowds gathered at the "Camp Hope" site which had sprung up around the San Jos gold and copper mine in Chile's northern Atacama desert, cheered as, after a 16-minute journey, the Phoenix capsule rose above ground.

The first miner, Florencio Avalos, emerged just before midnight, Chile time.

Mr Piera, who spoke personally to every miner before they were taken away to be seen by doctors, heralded the rescue as a case of "life defeating death".

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"This rescue operation has been so marvellous, so clean, so emotional that there was no reason not to allow the eyes of the world - which have been watching this operation so closely - to see it," he said.

Mr Avalos, the second-in-command of the miners, was believed to have been chosen as the first to be brought to the surface because he was in the best condition, psychologically and physically - and in the best position to deal with any potential problems with the operation.

The 31-year-old's rescue was swiftly followed by that of Mario Sepulveda Espina, who has become well known in Chile for his ebullient personality shown in videos sent to families above.

The miners were all brought to the surface wearing a "bio-harness" designed for astronauts, which monitors their heart rate, breathing, temperature and oxygen consumption.

During the 15-minute journey, the miners could communicate with rescue teams using an intercom in the capsule, which travelled at about a metre per second, but could speed up to three metres a second if the miner became unwell or suffered a panic attack.Sunglasses were also handed out to the men - after enduring three months without access to natural light - and warm sweaters to help them adjust to the dramatic drop in temperature from the 90 degrees underground to near-freezing conditions on the surface.

After an emotional reunion with family, each miner was put on a stretcher and flown to hospital in Copiap, ten minutes away, where two floors were prepared for the miners to receive physical and psychological examinations while kept under observation in a ward as dark as a cinema.

The men's ordeal began on 5 August, when the mine collapsed, trapping the 33 miners underground, 500 miles north of the capital, Santiago.

For 17 days it was not known whether they were alive or dead, but rescuers eventually made contact with the group.

A piece of paper wrapped around the drilling probe appeared above ground. "We're fine in the shelter, the 33 of us," the note said.

Operations to rescue the group began, with three drills boring a hole into rock to create a shaft to rescue the men.

On Saturday, the drilling rig broke through into the underground chamber. It was decided only the first 96m of the shaft needed to be reinforced and the final leg of the operation began ahead of schedule.

The Phoenix capsule was specially designed by the Chilean navy.

Rescue co-ordinator Andre Sougarret said before the rescue that the worst technical problem would be the possibility that a rock could fall and jam the capsule in the shaft, while other experts had warned that claustrophobic miners could panic and jam the capsule.

Mr Piera, wearing a white hard hat as he stood by the rescue shaft, has received a stream of phone calls from Latin American and worldwide leaders, including Prime Minister David Cameron.

United States president Barack Obama heralded the rescue as a "truly inspirational story with a very happy ending", while German foreign minister Guido Westwerwelle described it as "a modern miracle".

Mr Piera's popularity ratings have surged and his government has won strong praise for its handling of the crisis. Bolivian president Evo Morales was also at the mine to welcome the one Bolivian miner, Carlos Mamani, as he was lifted to safety.

The men, who had been trapped underground for 69 days, generally appeared to be in good health - including the oldest miner, Mario Gmez, 63, who suffers from lung disease silicosis and was breathing from an oxygen mask as he reached the surface.

Mr Gmez spoke of his journey to the surface as uneventful. "It was very smooth," he said. "I didn't feel anything."

• Additional reporting by Anna Gault.