By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Chilean officials say the 33 miners, who are expected to be trapped 2,300 feet below the earth’s surface until Christmas, have requested statues and crucifxes to be sent down to their subterranean prison where they can be used to construct a shrine for prayer.
CNN is reporting that the miners, who have been trapped since the collapse of a copper mine under Chile’s Atacama Desert on August 5, are asking for supplies to sustain themselves during what could be a months-long effort to free them.
It is not surprising that in a nation where 71 percent of the population is Catholic, among the list of items requested by the trapped miners are religious objects such as statues of saints, and a crucifix. The miners say they plan to use them to set up a shrine in a designated area of their shelter to be used for prayer.
Thus far, the miners have not been told that it could be Christmas before they are freed because officials fear what kind of impact this may have on their mental state. They are surviving in a cramped cave where temperatures sometimes reach as high as 85 degrees. By the time rescuers managed to drill a hole wide enough to lower food and water to the men, most had lost nearly 20 pounds or more.
The country of Chile has already asked NASA to send a team of two or three experts on nutritional and psychological issues because a few minors are already showing signs of depression, such as being unable to sleep and feeling “mentally uncomfortable” CNN reports.
Officials were able to get a video camera into the hands of the miners this week which they used to show their family members that they were alive and well. One miner even used the camera to give outsiders a look at how they have organized their cave, with areas for sleeping cordoned off from areas where the men play dominoes and entertain themselves during waking hours.
As of next week, officials hope to get a phone line established so that miners can speak with their families.
Meanwhile, efforts to get them out continue, but without the help of the miners’ employer. The San Esteban company claims it’s going bankrupt and cannot afford to pay the salaries of the workers who are trying to free the trapped miners. Instead, Chile’s state-owned mining company is doing the job of digging a tunnel big enough to get the men out, a project that is expected to cost $1.7 million and take months to complete.
The first of many expected lawsuits was filed yesterday and the government has seized $1.8 million of San Esteban assets in anticipation of the settlements.
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