avalos was new to the mines. after hustling on the street selling cds. mining provided him with his first regular wage. translator: i loved that mine. i loved the risk, the danger of the roof, the explosives, the machinery, the trucks, the smoke, crazy stuff. but i loved it. for victor, the dangerous state of the mine was a constant concern, since his job was to reinforce weak sections of the mine s five miles of tunnels. translator: i had been warned about that mine, but because the payment was good, i just went. we started to see irregularities in the hill. it made noises, but people said that was normal.
he also hugs chilean president sebastian pinera and other rescue workers before being wheeled into a nearby medical facility. during those long months of isolation, avalos was the camera man filming video of the miners to send up to their families up on the surface. chi-le! chi-chi-chi-! le-le-le! reporter: those families even while celebrating the avalos return, the other 32 miners will climb one by one into the capsule for their own ride back to freedom.
started, the rescue was complete. meticulously planned and precisely executed. we have experienced a night that we will never forget. full of emotion. full of joy. reporter: it was tuesday, just after midnight local time that the first miner, florencio avalos, emerged. he embraced his wife and sobbing 7-year-old son. but avalos would have to wait for 23 others to be pulled to freedom before his brother renan got out of the capsule. the world watched as the fenix delivered the 33 miners. the oldest, 63-year-old mario gomez. the youngest, 19-year-old jimmy sanchez. then there is arial ticona. he watched the birth of his baby girl on a monitor half a mile
after midnight local time that the first miner, florencio avalos, emerged. he embraced his wife and sobbing 7-year-old son. avalos would have to wait for 23 others to be pulled to freedom. before his brother, renan got out of that capsule. the world watched as the fenix delivered the 33 miners. the oldest, 63-year-old gomez, the youngest, 19-year-old jimmy sanchez. there is this man, who watched the birth of his baby girl on a monitor half a mile underground. he will get to hold esperanza for the first time. finally, luis urzua was strapped in. the shift captain and leader of the group, he insisted on being the last man out. the moment he appeared, the world celebrated having witnessed a true miracle. and we have heard that some of the freed miners might be leaving the hospital as early as today. that is a testament to their surprisingly good health considering everything that they had to go through.
still trapped below. the first to surface, he arrived to cheers from his family and from country men there in chile. he like the second rescued miner wearing a helmet and sunglasses. protected from light above ground. avalos smiling and hugging workers then embracing chile s president. the miner s wife two, children, his father, all there waiting for him, smiling. crying and laughing. and then, just quickly as he arrived, he was off in an ambulance, rushed off on a gurney for mefd cal testing. more background now. again, these men have been trapped a terrible ordeal, more than 2,000 feet underground. the trip up in a rescue capsule taking about 20 minutes. and now moving faster than anticipated or represented with things included an