Last trapped Chilean miner resurfaces
SAN JOSE MINE, Chile
1. 12:11 a.m. - Florencio Avalos, 31, the second-in-command of
the miners, was chosen to be first because he was in the best
condition, and best able to deal with any difficulties that might
arise.
2. 1:10 a.m. - Mario Sepulveda Espina, 40, captivated Chileans
with his engaging personality in videos sent up from underground.
3. 2:08 a.m. - Juan Illanes, 52, is a married former soldier who
urged his fellow miners to be disciplined and organized while
trapped.
4. 3:09 a.m. - Carlos Mamani, 24, the lone Bolivian, started at
the mine five days before the collapse. One of 11 children who
emigrated because he could not find work, he has been promised a
house and a job by Bolivian President Evo Morales.
5. 4:10 a.m. - Jimmy Sanchez, at 19, is the youngest miner and
father of a months-old baby.
6. 5:34 a.m. - Osman Isidro Araya, 30, a father of three, had
planned to quit the mine at the end of August because of the risk.
7. 6:21 a.m. - Jose Ojeda, 47, is a widower with no children who
has diabetes. Two of his nephews were at the site to greet him.
8. 7:02 a.m. - Claudio Yanez, 34, is a drill operator who
requested cigarettes be sent down while awaiting rescue and
expressed disgust at the nicotine patches he received instead.
9. 7:59 a.m. - Mario Gomez, at 63, is the oldest of the miners.
He also is the most experienced, having first entered a mine shaft
to work at age 12.
10. 8:52 a.m. - Alex Vega, 31, who is married with two children,
had been saving to buy a house and move out of his parents' home.
His father helped in rescue efforts - using a false name because
officials prohibited relatives from doing the dangerous work.
11. 9:31 a.m. - Jorge Galleguillos, 55, was injured in at least
two earlier mining accidents. He has 13 brothers and requires
medication for hypertension. Officials have promised to help his
son, who is a university student.
12. 10:11 a.m. - Edison Pena, who is 34 and married, was
reportedly among the most depressed of the trapped men and asked
rescuers to send down a photo of the sun. He tried to run every day
for exercise, and is a fan of Elvis Presley.
13. 10:54 a.m. - Carlos Barrios, 27, is the father of a
5-year-old boy. He is separated from his wife.
14. 11:30 a.m. - Victor Zamora, 34, was an auto mechanic and
laborer who has worked at the mine for five years. He sent up poems
to his wife, who is pregnant, and is the father of a 4-year-old
boy. While underground, he complained of tooth pain.
15. 12:07 p.m. - Victor Segovia, 48, kept a diary of life below,
asking those above to send down more pencils and paper. He has five
children, is an electrician and plays guitar.
16. 12:49 p.m. - Daniel Herrera, 37, was a truck driver and taxi
driver. Herrera is single; his mother and sister have been waiting
for him at "Camp Hope," the relatives' encampment outside the
mine.
17. 1:38 p.m. - Omar Reygadas, 56, helped organize life below
ground and reportedly survived other collapses in the mine. A
widower, he has six children, 14 grandchildren and four
great-grandchildren, including one born while he was trapped.
18. 2:49 p.m. - Esteban Rojas, 44, proposed a church wedding
"once and for all" in a message to the woman he married in a
civil ceremony 25 years ago. They have three children.
19. 3:27 p.m. - Pablo Rojas, 45, reportedly went to work at the
mine six months ago to help pay university fees for his son, who is
studying medicine. He is married.
20. 3:59 p.m. - Dario Segovia, 48, is a lifelong miner whose
father first took him underground at age 8. Twice married, he had
three children from each marriage. He had worked at the mine for
three months, drilling holes for dynamite. He has 12 brothers and
sisters.
21. 4:31 p.m. - Johnny Barrios Rojas, 50, worked for 25 years at
the mine and served as the medic for the group because he'd had
first aid training. Awaiting above are relationships that need
healing as well: his wife and his lover met at Camp Hope.
22. 5:04 p.m. - Samuel Avalos, 43, is married with three
children, had been working as a street vendor and got a job at the
mine for more money.
23. 5:32 p.m. - Carlos Bugueno, 26, found himself trapped
alongside a childhood friend, Pedro Cortez. A passionate soccer
fan, he asked to have game broadcasts piped below. Relatives said
the former security guard went to work at the mine to earn money
for a car and house.
24. 5:59 p.m. - Jose Henriquez, 55, formed and led a prayer
group while trapped and had friends send 33 small Bibles down the
tiny supply hole. Chilean reports say that in January he helped
save several miners who had passed out in the mine, apparently due
to gas, and had to be rescued himself when he was overcome
returning for another miner. Married with twin daughters, he has
spent 33 years in the mines and survived a landslide on the surface
in 1986.
25. 6:24 p.m. - Renan Avalos, 29, is the brother of the first
man out. He had worked at the mine five months.
26. 6:51 p.m. - Claudio Acuna, 35, proposed to his girlfriend
Fabiola Araya from below ground. He has two children.
27. 7:18 p.m. - Franklin Lobos, 53, a former professional soccer
player, drove the bus that carried the miners to work. Lobos was a
midfielder on the Chilean teams La Serena, Iquique and Cobresal,
and was on the national team that qualified for the 1984 Olympics
in Los Angeles. He has two daughters.
28. 7:44 p.m. - Richard Villaroel, 23, is returning to his wife,
who is in the late stages of pregnancy.
29. 8:13 p.m. - Juan Carlos Aguilar, 46, has worked as a miner
since he was 19. He is married with two children.
30. 8:37 p.m. - Raul Bustos, 40, a hydraulic engineer, was
caught up in both of Chile's two recent tragedies. The tsunami
caused by February's earthquake destroyed the shipyard where he
worked. So he journeyed north to work in the mine -- two months
before he was trapped there. He would travel back 20 hours by bus
to visit his wife and two children.
31. 9:01 p.m. - Pedro Cortez, 25, an electrician, helped install
the communications system used to talk back and forth with the
surface. He lost a finger in an earlier mining accident. He and his
wife are separated and have one daughter.
32. 9:28 p.m. - Ariel Ticona, 28, was still awaiting rescue when
his wife gave birth to their second daughter. They named her
"Hope." He worked with Cortez to install the underground
communications system.
33. 9:55 p.m. - Luis Alberto Urzua, 54, shift foreman at the
time of the collapse, is widely credited with helping the men
survive by enforcing tight rations of their limited food, lights
and other supplies. Speaking for the miners shortly after their
discovery, he told Chilean President Sebastian Pinera: "We hope
that all of Chile shows its strength to help us get out of this
hell."