Chile mine rescue attempt nears
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Chilean President Sebastian Pinera: "We have learned from this accident"
Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne has said the attempt to rescue 33 miners trapped underground will now get under way after 2200 (0100 GMT).
The men have been trapped about 700m (2,295ft) below ground since a tunnel collapse at the mine on 5 August.
Engineers are currently checking the custom-made rescue capsule, and installing communications equipment.Earlier, President Sebastian Pinera said he hoped what began as a possible tragedy, would end as a blessing.
"I know tonight there will be tears of happiness in all Chilean homes," he told reporters. "We made a promise to never surrender, and we kept it."
"I am sure the miners will not be the same people they were before the accident, and the Chilean people will not be the same people."
Excitement As night fell at the San Jose mine, near the northern city of Copiapo, Mr Golborne announced the rescue operation had been delayed by two hours. The government had previously said it aimed to start at 2000.
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Order of rescue
- 1-10: Florencio Avalos, Mario Sepulveda, Juan Illanes, Carlos Mamani, Jimmy Sanchez, Osman Araya, Jose Ojeda, Claudio Yanez, Mario Gomez, Alex Vega
- 11-20: Jorge Galleguillos, Edison Pena, Carlos Barrios, Victor Zamora, Victor Segovia, Daniel Herrera, Omar Reygadas, Esteban Rojas, Pablo Rojas
- 21-33: Dario Segovia, Yonni Barrios, Samuel Avalos, Carlos Bugueno, Jose Henriquez, Renan Avalos, Claudio Acuna, Franklin Lobos, Richard Villarroel, Juan Aguilar, Raul Bustos, Pedro Cortez, Ariel Ticona, Luis Urzua
He said an empty "Phoenix" capsule would first be sent down and up the 624m (2,047ft) shaft for further tests, before a technical expert was lowered very slowly to allow him to examine the state of the shaft in detail.
After returning to the surface, he would report on his findings and then repeat the process at a faster speed, he added.Only after a navy special forces paramedic has been lowered and has carried out an assessment of each of the miners, will the first be winched up.
"This whole process is going to take at least a couple of hours," Mr Golborne said.
But he added: "We intend to finish today with the first of the miners on the surface."
A technical co-ordinator, Rene Aguilar, said the delay was caused by the requirement to test three communication systems - one between the surface and the person in the rescue capsule, another between the surface and the refuge where the miners are located, and the third between doctors and the paramedic sent into the mine.
The first miner out is expected to be Florencio Avalos, 31, officials say.
Correspondents say there is a sense of excitement on the surface, with the miners' families counting down to the rescue attempt beginning.
President Pinera has spoken to the miners over a communication line but hopes to greet them in person, says the BBC's Vanessa Buschschluter at the scene.
Bolivian President Evo Morales is also expected to arrive at San Jose to greet Carlos Mamani, a Bolivian national and the only non-Chilean in the group. He is scheduled to be the third miner brought to the surface.
Medical attention Mr Avalos, 31, the first man scheduled to come out, is a foreman and second in command at the mine. He will be temporarily leaving behind his younger brother, Renan, who is another of the trapped miners.
He will wear a "bio-harness" designed for astronauts, which will monitor their heart rate, breathing, temperature and oxygen consumption.
The top of the shaft has been reinforced with metal casing to prevent crumbling surface rocks from breaking away during the rescue. Experts said the rest of the escape shaft was dug through solid rock and would not break up.
For the miners' families who have mounted a vigil, the final hours are upon them Next would be those who are weakest or ill, the added. One miner suffers from hypertension. Another is a diabetic, and others have dental and respiratory infections or skin lesions caused by the humidity in the mine.
After their rescue, the miners will be taken to a triage station. When they have been cleared by doctors there, they will be reunited with their families.
Later, they will be flown to the hospital in the nearby city of Copiapo, which is on standby to receive them. Outside the hospital, barriers have been set up to cope with the crowds of onlookers and journalists.
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