First two of 33 Chilean miners reach surface

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile - The second of 33 men was rescued early this morning after 69 days trapped in a collapsed mine, pulled to fresh air and freedom at last in a missile-like escape capsule to the cheers of his family and countrymen.

Mario Sepulveda Espina climbed out of the rescue capsule and jubilantly hugged his wife, rescuers and President Sebastián Piñera, and then handed them pieces of rock from his underground home.

About an hour earlier, the first miner finally emerged. Florencio Avalos, 31, wearing a helmet and sunglasses to protect him from the glare of rescue lights, smiled broadly as he hugged rescuers and the president.

Avalos' wife, two sons and father looked on. His 7-year-old son Bairon sobbed, as did Chile's first lady, Cecilia Morel.

After he emerged from the capsule that was pulled out of a manhole-sized opening, bystanders cheered and clapped, then broke into a chant of "Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!" - the country's name.

Avalos gave a thumbs-up as he was led to an ambulance and medical tests after his more than two months deep below the Chilean desert - the longest anyone has ever been trapped underground and survived.

Earlier, mine rescue expert Manuel Gonzalez of the state copper company Codelco grinned and made the sign of the cross as he was lowered into the shaft to the trapped men.

He was followed by Roberto Ros, a paramedic with the Chilean navy's special forces. Together they were to prepare the miners for their rescue - expected to take as many as 36 hours for all to surface.

"We made a promise to never surrender, and we kept it," Piñera said as he waited to greet the miners, whose endurance and unity captivated the world as Chile meticulously prepared their rescue.

Earlier, when the escape capsule was lowered into the nearly half-mile tunnel, steam rushed from the hole into the frigid night air, a sign of the humid, sauna-like conditions the men have endured in the gold and copper mine.

The last miner out is to be shift foreman Luis Urzua, whose leadership was credited with helping the men endure 17 days with no outside contact after the collapse. The men made 48 hours' worth of rations last that entire time before rescuers could drill holes to them and send down more food.

Janette Marin, sister-in-law of miner Dario Segovia, said the order of rescue didn't matter. "This won't be a success unless they all get out," she added, echoing the solidarity that the miners and people across Chile have expressed.

The paramedics can change the order of rescue based on a brief medical check in the mine. First out will be those best able to handle any difficulties and tell their comrades what to expect. Then, the weakest and the ill - in this case, about 10 suffer from hypertension, diabetes, dental and respiratory infections and skin lesions from the mine's oppressive humidity.

The last should be people who are both physically fit and strong of character.

Chile has taken extensive precautions to ensure the miners' privacy, using a screen to block the top of the shaft from the 1,000 journalists at the scene.

Each ride up the shaft is expected to take about 20 minutes, and authorities expect they can haul up one miner per hour.

When the last man surfaces, it promises to end a national crisis that began when 700,000 tons of rock collapsed Aug. 5, sealing the miners into the lower reaches of the mine.