of machine oil, but we had to drink it, he says. true grit that has brought them back to the ones they most love. raul to his wife carolina and ariel ticona to baby hope. the little girl born while he languished underground. the agony began mid-shift august 5th when the mine caved in. the mountain and the roof of the tunnel shook, and the mountain began to break up. we could only see one or two meters ahead. we drove off in a truck and we crashed it because we couldn t see anything, he says. this man, shift foreman, luis urzua gave them the bad news straight. they may live, but more likely they would die. we had a boss who every day said
buried alive for 70 days, now they re safe. in this video shot by a freelance writer with press access to the field hospital, the miners tell how they resigned themselves to death but battled for life. richard was miner number 28 out of the hole. we were waiting for death because our bodies were eating themselves. i was afraid i would never meet my son, he says. he shows a bottle cap and explains how they survived the first 17 days. cut off from a world that had almost given them up for dead. every day we ate just half a pl plastic spoonful of tune amp we drank water, but it wasn t pure. was mine water and tasted of machine oil, but we had to drink it, he says.
of machine oil, but we had to drink it, he says. true grit that has brought them back to the ones they most love. raul to his wife carolina and ariel ticona to baby hope. the little girl born while he languished underground. the agony began mid-shift august 5th when the mine caved in. the mountain and the roof of the tunnel shook, and the mountain began to break up. we could only see one or two meters ahead. we drove off in a truck and we crashed it because we couldn t see anything, he says. this man, shift foreman, luis urzua gave them the bad news straight. they may live, but more likely they would die. we had a boss who every day said we must stay strong.
access to the field hospital, the miners tell who they resigned themselves to death but battled for life. richard was miner number 28 out of the hole. we were waiting for death because our own bodies were eating themselves. i was afraid i would never meet my son, he says. he shows a bottle cap and explains how they survive the first 17 days. cut off from a world that had almost given them up for dead. every day we ate just half a plastic spoonful of tuna. we drank water but it wasn t pure. it was mine water and tasted of machine oil, but we had to drink it, he says. true grit that his brought them back to the ones they most love. raul to his wife, carolina.
the first ve first time since their rescue. a group held a news conference this weekend, their first since spending two months trapped underground. they also appeared on a talk show last night. nbc s natalie morales is live for us in chile. you also appeared on the talk show with the miners. what are they relegaling in the interviews, the details they haven t shared about that experience yet? reporter: well, you know, thomas, they have that pact where they say they re not going to talk about the most difficult moments. we did hear about those dark times. one of the miners said that he saw death. he felt like he was dying. other miners said all they had to drink during those first 17 days was the water that was basically tainted with machine oil. they said that the videos that they sent up to the surface, so that their families saw and that the whole world saw, were essentially not showing the full picture. it didn t really reveal the horror and the emotional trauma that they were goi