Chile miners' rescue: Latest updates

Follow the rescue of the 33 trapped Chilean miners as it unfolds with nzherald's Latest Updates.

7.55pm Off he goes. Sanchez is now on his way back up.

Meanwhile, the families waiting above ground are getting tired - a BBC reporter says some have gone to sleep and will celebrate in the morning.

7.44pm The Phoenix touches down in the mine and Jimmy Sanchez gets on board.

Up above, Mario Sepulveda tells reporters he never had a doubt.

"I always believed in the professionals, I always had faith in God."

The group's unofficial spokesman is proud of the government, his colleagues and the company, he says.

But he says mining practices need to change in order to prevent a similar disaster reoccurring.

7.25pm The capsule goes down for Jimmy Sanchez, the youngest of the 33 men at only 19.

He is thought to be one of the most vulnerable miners, psychologically.

The next group to be rescued will include some of the weakest and the sickest.

7.11pm Holding Bolivian flags, his family and politicians applauded and whistled as the 23-year-old was winched up.

Mamani crossed himself before embracing his wife, knocking off her white hardhat.

He had just started working as a heavy-equipment operator at the mine when it collapsed. He was recruited by his father-in-law, Johnny Quispe, who told The Associated Press that he narrowly escaped being crushed himself when the rocks fell, and that everyone at the mine knew it was dangerously overworked.

Mamani's involvement in this incident has been hailed as assisting in a thaw between Chilean-Bolivian relations.

Veronica had initially complained publicly about the Bolivian government's attitude towards her and her family but changed her opinion after meeting President Morales, who is expected to arrive here later on.

As the miners before him did, Mamani waved and smiled before individually greeting his family and others.

He gestured at the Chilean flag on his T-shirt and shouted "Gracias, Chile!" before a round of back-slapping with his rescuers.

That makes a total of four rescued so far.

7.07pm His wife Veronica Quispe, appeared tired and anxious as she awaited his arrival for him by the rescue shaft, sipping a hot drink.

The couple and their daughter have been promised land in the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba by President Evo Morales to help them start a new life.

He had only been working at the mine for a few days when the accident happened and says he will not return to mining.

6.54pm Mamani is on his way to the surface, making the solo journey up the rescue shaft.

He leaves behind 29 other miners and three rescue workers.

6.45pm The Phoenix has made it to the bottom of the mine yet again. Not too long until Mamani is reunited with his loved ones.

6.33pm Next up will be Carlos Mamani, a Bolivian and the only non-Chilean in the group.

His family is waiting anxiously for the capsule to collect him.

6.29pm Back down they go - this time without anyone inside. The capsule is going down empty.

Thirty miners remain underground waiting to be hauled up.

6.23pm Workers are currently inspecting the capsule.

6.09pm Illanes has arrived safely at ground level. Again, cheering and clapping ensued, and when asked how his trip was he replied: "Like a cruise!"

6.03pm Illanes' wife is now waiting near the head of the rescue hole. She's chatting and joking with the president.

5.55pm The third miner, Juan Illanes, is now ascending the rescue shaft in the capsule.

The 52-year-old served in the Chilean army before he became a miner.

5.45pm And it's back - the Phoenix has returned to the floor of the mine with Patricio Roblero.

Meanwhile, Mario Sepulveda's brother Claudio says he saw him "complete, happy, appearing as if he almost didn't want to go to the hospital".

5.33pm The rescue operation is being followed closely on Twitter, mostly using the #Chileanminers hashtag.

Said @griffmiester: The second miner has a bit of a sense of humour. He brought up a bag of rocks to prove they were working ;)

5.20pm Whistling, rescue worker Patricio Robledo has climbed into the capsule and begun the descent.

There seemed to be some concern about the door before the capsule was lowered back into the shaft.

5.11pm Mario Sepulveda has returned to the surface, becoming the second miner to do so.

As he got closer to the top, rescue workers shouted down to him and he eagerly called back in return.

There was clapping and cheering as he was met by his wife Elvira.

In seemingly high spirits, he embraced the waiting rescue workers before leading them in a rousing chant.

He even brought up a bag full of rocks, which he handed out to the crowd as souvenirs.

He has now been taken away for medical assessment. As he was carried off, he asked his wife, "How's the dog?"

4.58pm The capsule carrying Mario Sepulveda, 40, is making its way up again and the siren to alert the medics has sounded.

Shift foreman Luis Urzua will be the last miner extracted.

Janette Marin, sister-in-law of miner Dario Segovia, said the order of rescue didn't matter.

"This won't be a success unless they all get out," she said, echoing the solidarity that the miners and people across Chile have expressed.

The paramedics can change the order of rescue based on a brief medical check once they're in the mine.

First out will be those best able to handle any difficulties and tell their comrades what to expect.

Then, the weakest and the ill - in this case, about 10 suffer from hypertension, diabetes, dental and respiratory infections and skin lesions from the mine's oppressive humidity.

The last should be people who are both physically fit and strong of character.

Chile has taken extensive precautions to ensure the miners' privacy, using a screen to block the top of the shaft from the more than 1,000 journalists at the scene.

The miners will be ushered through an inflatable tunnel, like those used in sports stadiums, to an ambulance and then a triage station for a medical check. They will gather with a few relatives in an area also closed to the media, before being taken by helicopter to a hospital.

4.46pm The capsule has reached the trapped miners. A second miner will shortly be able to make his way back to the top; Mario Sepulveda is due next.

Click here for an interactive graphic explaining the rescue mission in more detail.

4.35pm All smiles, President Pinera is giving a speech following the successful rescue of the first miner. He is promising "each and every one" of "Los 33" will be freed soon.

He described the rescue mission as a "miracle" and said the Chilean people had shown the world what they were capable of.

The president described how lovely it was to see Avalos' sons greet their father, especially young Bairo.

"I told Florencio, that few times have I ever seen a son show so much love for his father," he said.

"This won't be over until all 33 are out.

"Hopefully the spirit of these miners will remain forever with us ... This country is capable of great things."

4.31pm A relative of Avalos has told the BBC of the "indescribable" moment when he emerged.

4.26pm Rescue worker Robert Rios Seguel has been strapped into the capsule and is beginning the journey below ground.

He will presumably assist Manuel Gonzalez, the first rescue worker who is already in the mine, assess the remaining miners and manage the rest of the rescue process.

According to the BBC, he is a sergeant in the Chilean navy's special forces with first aid experience as well as experience in hostile and confined environments.

Each man's journey should take about 15 minutes. The capsule travels at about 1 metre per second and can speed up to 3 metres per second if needed.

4.24pm A second rescue worker is buckling up his harness near the shaft and preparing to go down. There are 32 miners still to be evacuated.

Meanwhile, many family members have been camping out by the mine - there is even a makeshift school set up.

4.17pm After hugging and shaking hands with several people, Avalos was put on a stretcher and has been taken away for medical treatment.

His daughter and son burst into tears as their father became the first of the 33 trapped miners to be rescued, as did Chile's first lady, Cecilia Morel.

Avalos is married with two children and has been trapped along with his brother, Renan. He was chosen to go first because he is in good physical shape. He was responsible for filming the videos shot of the miners during their ordeal.

4.13pm And he's out! The first miner has reached the surface, about 16 minutes after the ascent began.

Wearing dark glasses and a red mining helmet, Avalos hugged and kissed his wife and young son who were waiting anxiously for him.

He then greeted the president and other rescue workers amid cheering and clapping.

He stepped out of a rescue capsule amid sobs from his young son and received a bracing bear hug from Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.

4.11pm Sirens have just gone off - the BBC says this is a signal telling medics to get ready for the capsule's arrival.

4.02pm The tent belonging to the family of Florencio Avalos has been mobbed by reporters from all over the world eager to capture the moment when he finally makes it safely to the top, says a BBC reporter.

Avalos' mother is reportedly biting her nails as she waits for her son to emerge.

3.59pm As the rescue capsule is lifted back to the surface through the 622-metre shaft, relatives of Florencio Avalos, the miner chosen to come up first, cheered, sang and prayed.

CNN reports the trip may take less than 15 minutes.

President Sebastian Pinera cheered as well and shared hugs with his ministers while they watched video of the capsule entering the miners' chamber.

3.55pm The first miner - believed to be 31-year-old Florencio Avalos - is now inside the capsule. Onlookers applauded as the winch turned and the capsule began its return journey up.

3.43pm The miners are crowding around Gonzalez - one of them hugged him as he stepped out of the rescue shaft.

One of the miners - expected to be 31-year-old Florencio Avalos - will soon enter the capsule and returned to his family.

3.40pm Manuel has reached the group of waiting miners below ground. The crowds cheered as they watched the capsule dropping into the chamber.

3.30pm The miners are singing the Chilean national anthem as their families anxiously wait aboveground.

3.20pm The capsule containing rescue worker Manuel Gonzalez, has been lowered into the rescue shaft.

Check out CNN's interactive graphic detailing the rescue operation.

2.10pm
A San Jose mine official says the capsule's door may have been damaged in first test trip and it is being repaired before a second test - Chilean TV

1.50pm
Reports are now saying the rescue order is as follows:
Florencio Avalos, Mario Sepulveda, Juan Illanes, Carlos Mamani, Jimmy Sanchez, Osman Araya, Jose Ojeda, Claudio Yanez, Mario Gomez, Alex Vega, Jorge Galleguillos, Edison Pena, Carlos Barrios, Victor Zamora, Víctor Segovia, Daniel Herrera, Omar Reygadas, Esteban Rojas, Pablo Rojas, Dario Segovia, Yonni Barrios, Samuel Avalos, Carlos Bugueno, Jose Henriquez, Renan Avalos, Claudio Acuna, Franklin Lobos, Richard Villarroel, Juan Aguilar, Raul Bustos, Pedro Cortez, Ariel Ticona, Luis Urzua.

1.40pm
The empty 'Phoenix 1' rescue capsule has been lowered into the shaft for a test run.

12pm
Authorities at the mine site have just announced there will be a delay to operations; the rescue attempt is now scheduled to start in two hours' time.
The reason given is: some tweaks had to be made to the 'Phoenix 1' rescue capsule.

11.40am
Police are in the process of closing streets along the route to the hospital in Copiapo where the Chilean miners will be taken following their rescue.

11.33am
The third miner to be hoisted from the Chilean mine is expected to be the Bolivian who is among the men trapped. He is 24-year-old Carlos Mamani Solis (the second man has not yet been named).

11.15am
The 'Phoenix' rescue capsule has arrived at the top of the shaft. Workers are milling around it pointing, gesturing and suggesting what to do next, like people on Christmas morning offering helpful suggestions about to how to assemble Johnnie's new kite.
Hope someone knows what they're doing ...

11.06am
Twitter has news of unconfirmed reports on Chilean TV saying that the rescuers have already descended into the mine.

10.55am
Rory Carroll, the Guardian's South America correspondent, is at the San Jose mine. He says the scene is: "... a circus. 2,000 plus journalists causing a media stampede. Every network is hounding relatives for whatever story they can get."

10.45am
The only media allowed to record each miner coming out of the shaft will be a government photographer and Chile's state television channel, AP reports. And their images will be delayed about 30 seconds or more to prevent the release of anything "unexpected".

10.35am
The last miner out, according to the official list, will be shift foreman Luiz Urzua, whose leadership was credited for the miners' survival during the 17 days when they were utterly closed off from the outside world.

10.30am
The president of Chile has made it official, telling the mother of Florencio Avalos that he'll be the first of 33 men to be rescued from the collapsed mine where they've been trapped for 69 days.
His mother, Maria Silva, says he's not surprised he was chosen and that she's very proud of him.
The directive was that the first miner out should be one in good health, and with a confident nature.

10am
CNN are reporting that an emergency services medic will be lowered down the shaft in "about an hour" from now; and about an hour after that, the first miner could arrive at the surface.

9.50am
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has arrived at the site of "Camp Hope" in anticipation of the miners' rescue.

9.30am
Midday was the scheduled time for the rescue operation to get underway, but it looks as though things are beginning to roll now. Each time a miner comes out, a siren will sound.