Hope grew Friday as expectations that the 33 miners, who have been trapped inside a mine in Chile for over two months, would be able to be released in the coming days. Health Minister Jaime Manalich, speaking briefly as he arrived at the mine, raised expectations even more by repeating "Tuesday" back to reporters who asked if the men could be pulled out that day. The miners' families kept vigil overnight by the mine. Manalich said the drill paused Friday morning for a maintenance check before the final push to release the miners. New depth figures were not released, but a technician working with the T130 drill told The Associated Press that just 128 feet remained before the drill breaks through to the miners at 2,047 feet below ground. The technician spoke on condition of anonymity because only top government officials and rescue coordinators are authorized to talk to the media. The T130 is aiming at a workshop that is not as deep underground as the refuge where the miners happened to be eating when 700,000 tons of rock collapsed on August 5 in the middle section of the gold and copper mine below a rocky hill in Chile's vast northern Atacama desert. Once the drilling is complete, a video camera will be lowered through the shaft to help determine whether the miners can be pulled up through the exposed rock, or must wait for the shaft to be encased with steel piping to reduce the remote risk of something going wrong. Golborne said the casing would take three to eight more days, and a decision could be made Saturday.
