Posted on 05/08/2006 12:55:27 PM PDT by HAL9000
Rescuers have reached the two men trapped in the Beaconsfield Gold mine for the past 14 days.Brant Webb, 37, was the first to be rescued at 4:47am AEST.
At 4:54am, 34-year-old Todd Russell was plucked from the cage the two men have been crouching in.
The Australian Workers Union's Bill Shorten says the men are well and are being taken to a special crib.
"These people are going to speak for themselves but as I understand, they're in remarkably good shape," he said.
The head of the Minerals Council in Tasmania, Terry Long, says the two men have been assessed by medics.
"They've been medically assessed as being category three now apparently and ... I said, 'What does that mean' because I expected them to be in very poor shape," he said.
"Apparently you and I are category four, they're category three and you're not in intensive care until category one, so they're just below the level of you and I."
The men should be out of the mine within the hour and will be taken to hospital as soon as they reach the surface.
Town ecstatic
The mood outside the mine is ecstatic.
Beaconsfield residents are gathering in a park near the mine site.
One of the residents has told Channel Nine it is a wonderful time for the town.
"We're so excited, I've been up since about three o'clock in the morning, watching the TV ... it's fantastic news, absolutely wonderful, I'm actually emotional," she said.
Mr Shorten says it is a great day.
"The rescuers here have done a fantastic job," he said.
"The families have been fantastic, and clearly these two men have been outstanding Australians.
"It's a great day."
The men's rescue comes as Beaconsfield prepares for the funeral of Larry Knight, who was killed in the rock fall that trapped the men nearly one kilometre underground.
Good news!
That's amazing!
Ping!
Good on ya', Aussies!
Good news indeed.
wonderful news!
so glad to hear they
are doing so well!
Thank God! Especially after the horrible recent mining tragedies here and in Mexico...
Forget the hospital, I'd want a long hot shower first.
Apparently they had a shower while they were still in the mine.
This is a great story. The two guys actually walked out of the mine and came through the ordeal remarkably well. Sadly, one of their mates was killed when the mine collapsed and will be buried later today.
This is a great story. The two guys actually walked out of the mine and came through the ordeal remarkably well. Sadly, one of their mates was killed when the mine collapsed and will be buried later today.
I love happy endings.
Thank You, Lord!
What a miracle.
Praise God!
Really?
Only one dead? I don't mean to sound glib, but that is amazing. If this had been happening anywhere else in the world, well...
You Aussies know how to run a tight ship!
Good on you!
Great news!
One of those days I'm proud to be Australian-born...
I woke up to this news this morning - actually I switched on the TV just before they walked out of the mine - and I haven't stopped smiling all day.
For two fellas who'd spent two weeks (yes, two weeks!) underground, trapped in a roughly 4x4 foot cage, they looked pretty good.
I have the news on now... apparently just half an hour ago, one of them even checked himself out of the hospital already. Fantastic!
As I recall, about 14 others managed to escape when the mine first collapsed. Mining is a dangerous business anywhere in the world. However, coal mining has to be the most dangerous.
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