Chile miners could be rescued as early as by weekend, claims drilling company

London, Oct 6 (ANI): The 33 miners trapped underground in Chile could be rescued by Sunday, according to the drilling company, Geotec Boyles Bros.

"We expect to arrive in the gallery on Saturday if there's no major problem with the drilling," the Christian Science Monitor quoted Eugenio Eguiguren, executive vice president at the drilling company Geotec Boyles Bros., as saying.

He further said that after the crew is done with the drilling process, a video camera would be lowered down to inspect the walls of the hole to determine whether casing is necessary. In case the casing is not required, the process of lifting up the miners would begin in two days.

Meanwhile, Chile Mining Minister Laurence Golborne also indicated that the rescue operation could be completed in five days time.

"There is a humanistic pressure to rescue people who are trapped 600 meters deep as soon as possible, and hopefully we will be able to do it in five days, which is the soonest possible," he added.

Geotec Boyles Bros. is one of the three companies racing to reach the miners for their rescue. The process was delayed by all the three companies because of the maintenance problems, mechanical failures, and inadvertent detours they faced while cutting through the hard bedrock.

Chilean President Sebastian Piñera said: "We are very close to rescuing them and I hope to be able to rescue them before going to Europe. It's very important for me to take part in this moment."

He had been planning to travel on October 15, but said he may adjust his schedule for the rescue, the paper said. (ANI)