'I've brought you all a present': How brave Chilean miner greeted his rescuers on the surface with a souvenir from 2,000ft underground

By WIL LONGBOTTOM

Survivor: Mario Sepulveda plays to the crowd as he emerges from the mine before handing out rock 'presents' to his rescuers


Miner Florencio Avalos Silva is the first brought to the surface

Three rescuers, including army and navy trauma experts, lowered down to trapped miners

Second man Mario Sepulveda Espinaze gives presents of rocks to rescuers and leads crowd in chants

Former army corporal Juan Andres Illanes Palma is third man rescued

In amazing scenes, the second miner to be rescued from the collapsed Chilean mine gave presents of rocks to his rescuers and the country's President.

Mario Sepulveda hugged his wife before rummaging through a bag he was carrying to produce the rocks and handed them to the people surrounding him.

He then ran over to a crowd of watching miners, pumping his fist and leading them in the popular Viva Chile chant.

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Joker: Mr Sepulveda made a beeline for a crowd of watching miners as he led them in chants and pumped his fist


Souvenir: Mr Sepulveda had a bag with him in the capsule and handed out rocks as presents


The Presenter: Mr Sepulveda gave an amazing display of humour and bravery after he was rescued


Mr Sepulveda, known as The Presenter, has been the star of many of the videos to emerge from the mine during the time the men were trapped.

Earlier there cheers as relatives hugged when the first miner trapped for 69 days below the Atacama Desert was brought to the surface.

Florencio Avalos Silva, 31, was successfully rescued from the collapsed San Jose mine after a rescuer was earlier lowered down to calm the men.

He hugged his wife and son and spoke to Chilean President Sebastian Pinera before he was taken to a triage area for medical and psychological assessment.

Family members, other miners and journalists cheered and sang as Mr Avalos made his historic journey to the surface.

Mr Avalos - a father-of-two - appeared calm as he arrived on the surface, but experts said he is likely to be have been overwhelmed by the reaction as he was brought above ground.

The third miner rescued, 52-year-old Juan Andres Illanes, is a former Chilean Army corporal who fought against Argentina in the 1970s and an electrical engineer.
All three men were only given a brief amount of time before they were taken into a special darkened tent to be examined.

A third rescuer has now joined army and navy trauma experts and a mining expert in the chamber to help assess the miners.

A rough order for the other 32 miners has been drawn up, but rescue workers Manuel Gonzalez Roberto Rios and Patricio Roblero will be assessing each one and it could be changed depending on circumstances.

Mr Pinera gave a speech praising the miners and their families for not giving up and the engineers for their incredible work to rescue the 33 men.

He also said the San Jose mine will be closed for good and the Chilean government will carry out a review of safety measures in the South American country's extensive mining industry.


Safe! Florencio Avalos smiles as he emerges from the capsule after making his historic journey to the surface


Relief: The son of Florencio Avalos breaks down in tears as his father arrives on the surface


Gratitude: Alfonso Avalos, right, the father of the first miner, hugs a relative as he emerges


Viva Chile! The dramatic moment that Mr Avalos emerged from the capsule at the collapsed San Jose mine


Ecstatic: Relatives and friends react as the first miner emerges from the bore hole


Joy: One of the miners hugs Manuel Gonzalez as he arrives into the chamber in the capsule


Rescued: Florencio Antonio Avalos Silva was the first miner pulled from the mine and, right, Juan Andres Illanes - a former Chilean army corporal - was third


Family members in Camp Hope cheered and hugged as Mr Gonzalez was pictured on a video feed being lowered into the chamber housing the miners and greeting the men as he got out.

Mr Gonzalez, an experienced mine rescuer, had earlier promised to remain with the miners until the last one was out.

The first miners expected to be lifted out are those who were deemed to be the psychologically strongest and they will have to make the ascent in the tiny Phoenix capsule using oxygen masks and wearing biometric equipment to monitor their vital signs.

Concerns have been raised about friction caused on the steel cable winching the capsule down the shaft as it straightens from an 11 degree angle to vertical.


Back on terra firma: Juan Andres Illanes smiles as he completes his 2,000ft journey


Mr Avalos has been asked to carry out an assessment of the journey to the surface to better inform the order that the rest of the miners are rescued in.

The final test run of the capsule was earlier carried out and a special brace has been attached to the cable for the first time it has been used to carry the weight of a man inside.

It is hoped the specially designed escape pod - called Phoenix 2 - would bring the first miner to the surface two hours later.

Mr Silva is married and suffers from high blood pressure, but is said to be one of the calmest men trapped in the collapsed mine.


Hope: The moment the capsule emerges from the bore hole into the chamber


Calm: Showing little tension, Mr Gonzalez talks to the other miners as he describes his journey



source :dailymail

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