10-14-2010 All of the 33 trapped miners from the San Jose mine in Chile, have been rescued, marking the end of a 2 month ordeal.
The miracle（奇迹） rescue has gripped the world, triggering an outpouring of sympathy, support, and celebrations from both Chile and across the globe.
A perfect ending to a horrifying ordeal.
54-year-old Luis Urzua, who was the shift foreman at the time of the
collapse, was the last miner to travel through the 600 meters of rock to the surface（表层,外观）.
Celebrations erupted across the country as he emerged to a hero's welcome.
Just after the last miner emerged , the Chilean President addressed the media at the San Jose mine.
Sebastian Pinera, Chilean President, said, "We felt supported by all Chileans, and I want to say that today Chile is not the same country we had 69 days ago. The miners are not the same people who got trapped on that day, August 5th. They have come out stronger, and they taught us a lesson. But Chile is not the same either. I think Chile today is more united and stronger than ever, and I think Chile today is more respected(尊重) and more valued in the whole world. What ended up as a real blessing from God started as a possible tragedy. But the unity, the faith, the compromise, the honesty, the solidarity of the Chileans in those 69 days makes us very proud."
The miners set a world record for underground survival.
For the first 17 days of the miners' ordeal, they were all believed to be dead. But after discovering they were still alive, their story of survival as well as the dramatic rescue operation captured the world's attention.
To prepare for the rescue, they did regular exercises to keep their weight down for their ascent.
Avalos, the 31-year-old who was reported to be second-in-command, was the first miner to be rescued.
A second miner, Mario Sepulveda, was pulled to the surface about an hour later.
Then the third one, the fourth all the miners were rescued after nearly 24 hours.
The miners were whisked away for medical checkups and found to be in good health. One miner has pneumonia and is being treated with antibiotics.
With everyone now back on the surface, the nightmare is finally over.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑) |