33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 17 days are alive!

Sometimes life has happy switches. 33 miners were missing after a huge mine located in northern Chile collapsed on August 5. 

33 miners with small salaries but great courage. I must say I had lost all hopes. If you calculated, if you saw the numbers, the maps, if you heard the authorities, there was little chance they were still alive. I remembered the ending of John Ford's "How Green was my Valley" and Billy Wilder's "Ace in the Hole". Tragedy and people's selfishness. But this Sunday the story changed. After days and days of wait, one of the machines that were working day and night in the desert came up from a depth of 2,300 ft with a written message attached. It was wet and crumpled, but it was clear: "We are fine in the shelter, the 33 of us". My country was just one celebrating the news.

Today the authorities were able to send some basic nourishment and to communicate with them. Do you know what was the first thing they asked? If one of their workmates that left the mine earlier than them was alive. After they got a positive answer, they spontaneously cheered and clapped. Then, they sang our national anthem. They sang, even when they knew that they probably are gonna be there for at least 3 months, until the machine that is gonna dig a human size hole can reach them and they finally get to see the sunlight again. 

This September my country is celebrating 200 years, the "Bicentenario". And this news is the best we could get.