The families of 33 Chilean miners trapped underground, after a shaft collapsed at the mine in Copiapo, where they were working marked the one month anniversary of their ordeal on Sunday. On August 5, a landslide at the gold and copper mine in the Atacama desert caused a tunnel to collapse and entombed the men more than 2,200 feet (67.6 metres) below ground.It took 17 days for rescuers to make their first contact with the miners and find out they were all alive and well.
Families have been holding a vigil by camping out close to the mine, sending messages to their loved ones to keep their spirits up.On Saturday they managed to talk via a video link with their relatives below ground.
A miner's sister, who is living at the camp, said she got a letter from her brother saying that he's "happy to know that we are here and that it gives them courage."Alberto Avalos, who has two relatives trapped, Florencio and Renan Avalos Silva, said that he couldn't imagine what they were going through.
"It is hard to imagine it, being 700 and something metres underground, being buried down there, a month...yes, things become more complicated," he said. Back up drills were also on site to help dig the vital rescue tunnel.
Doctors, psychologists, authorities and relatives have avoided - on purpose - mentioning how many weeks or months the rescue will take in any communication they have had with the trapped miners.
Engineers estimated that digging a tunnel big enough to extract the miners could take up to four months if everything goes according to plan.
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