Trapped Chilean miners receive first hot meals

Copiapo, Agency
The conduit being drilled to rescue the 33 miners trapped inside a mine near this town in northern Chile on Wednesday reached more than 20 meters (65 feet) deep, while the men were able to enjoy their first hot meal since they were trapped on Aug. 5.

But the progress of the Strata-950 drill was slowed after it hit a geological fault that forced rescue teams to proceed with added caution, authorities said.

The experts collaborating in the task say other geological faults could be encountered again during the drilling of the first 100 meters (325 feet) of the narrow tube, a situation that will reduce progress but will not cause any risk.

Inside the mine, 702 meters (2,282 feet) underground, the trapped workers on Wednesday received their first hot food in their 27 days underground.

The menu included meatballs with rice and kiwi for dessert, and the food was sent down into the mine in a series of capsules - the so-called "palomas" (doves, in Spanish) - attached to the probes that made first contact with the men some days ago.

In the evening, dinner will include chicken with peas and a pear.

Authorities said Wednesday that the miners' nutritional situation is now stabilized, and so starting right away they each will be provided with a diet of 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day.

The latest medical report on the men also says that they "have demonstrated having a positive food tolerance level, which provides confirmation that they are in good health."

Meanwhile, the NASA specialists who will help advise Chilean authorities on the treatment of the miners arrived on Wednesday at the San Jose mine.

The four members of the U.S. space agency, who have experience in taking care of the needs of people who must remain for prolonged periods in hostile environments and in isolated conditions, met upon their arrival with the people in charge of the rescue efforts.

At "Camp Hope" set up near the mine entrance, relatives of the workers on Wednesday received a visit from a folklore group from Copiapo that performed traditional Chilean dances.

An atmosphere of happiness and optimism prevailed among the relatives, thanks - in part - to the second videotape made by the men below ground, a tape that their families viewed on Tuesday.

In the approximately 25 minutes of tape the workers appear dressed in red t-shirts, shaven and cleaner than in the first video they made last Thursday.

The miners were smiling and joking around on the tape, and they showed how they have organized themselves in the mine to store and arrange all the products being sent down to them from above.

The good state of health and good spirits the men displayed in the video went far toward calming their anxious family members.