Miners emerge after months undergroundSTORY HIGHLIGHTS- One miner has pneumonia, others have dental problems
- President Obama calls the rescue a "tremendously inspirational story"
- Each miner is greeted with cheers around the world
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Copiapo, Chile (CNN) -- By Wednesday evening, rescuers had hoisted to the surface more than two-thirds of the 33 miners trapped in a northern Chile gold and copper mine before an audience that stretched across the world.
After 69 harrowing days, the miners ascended to freedom one by one, hoisted through nearly a half-mile of rock in a rescue mission that began in the numbing chill of a desert night, continued under the searing sun of a cloudless day and stretched into the dusk.
Each time the red, white and blue metal capsule approached the earth's surface, its cargo was heralded by the wail of a siren and applause from relatives and rescuers assembled nearby.
Some of the miners signaled a thumbs-up. Others waved Chilean flags. One led the crowd in a chant for Chile. Some dropped to their knees and prayed. Mostly, though, they embraced their families.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera called the mission "magical." U.S. President Barack Obama called it a "tremendously inspirational story."
Franklin Lobos, the 28th man to make the journey, arrived as dusk was falling and was embraced by his teenage daughter Carolina. "Don't make me cry," the former professional soccer player told her in a comment picked up by a microphone. She then handed him a soccer ball that he kicked around playfully for a moment.
Video: Freed after 69 days underground 
Video: Rescued miner very thankful 
Video: Drilling for a miracle 
Video: Camera shows view inside tunnel 
Gallery: Breakthrough at Chile mine "You have won the best and the toughest match of your life," Pinera told him as they embraced. "The match of life."
To that, Lobos responded, "The hardest of my life," then lay down on the gurney -- still clutching the ball. He then was wheeled into the adjacent field hospital for an initial examination prior to his flight by helicopter to San Jose Hospital in nearby Copiapo.
The job of hoisting the men was expected to be completed late Wednesday. Prior to beginning the work, the experts had predicted the rescues would take 36 hours.
Throughout the night and the day, Pinera stood outside the hole, greeting each arrival with a warm embrace. "We had promised to look until we found them," Pinera said. "We can all feel proud to be Chilean."
Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, who was a ubiquitous presence during the rescue preparations and has emerged as a popular figure in Chile, also greeted each miner. The embraces began in the initial few minutes of Wednesday with the arrival of Florencio Avalos, who was the first to step out of the "Fenix" capsule, named for the mythical bird that rose from ashes.
He beamed as his feet touched the surface of the Earth that had held him captive, then cradled his son and wife before Pinera bear-hugged him.
The 31-year-old miner served as a cameraman during the group's isolation, shooting videos of the miners that were sent up to rescuers and relatives at the surface.
"I'm overwhelmed with emotion because it's been so long since we have seen him," Alfonso Avalos, Florencio's father, told Chile's TVN. "I'm very proud of him. Thanks to God he got out and looks good."
The entire night passed before it was 63-year-old Mario Gomez's turn. A miner since he was 12, he had contracted lung disease and lost three fingers prior to the August 5 accident. He had planned to retire but went back down in the mine that day to test drive a new truck.
His wife, Lillian Ramirez, stood by nervously as he emerged before her in a cage no wider than the span of his shoulders.
Gomez, whose wife said he used to ask her to quit bugging him to say daily prayers, dropped to his knees to praise God. At that moment, she knew how lucky she was to have him returned to her, she said.
To say there were 33 trapped in the mine is wrong, Ramirez said. There were 33 men -- and God.
Ramirez was just one of many family members who bit their lips in anticipation and then rejoiced at the appearance of each man at the San Jose Mine in Chile's Atacama Desert. The miners had been trapped in the bowels of the earth since August 5 when the mine caved in.
In the capital, Santiago, hundreds wept and embraced as they watched the rescue on a flickering big screen TV set up in a square. Corks popped and champagne flowed at the Chilean Embassy in Washington.
The scene repeated itself as more and more miners arrived. Around the world, strangers sat glued to their television sets.
We had promised to look until we found them. We can all feel proud to be Chilean.--Chilean President Sebastian Pinera RELATED TOPICS- Chile
- Mining Accidents and Disasters
- Sebastian Pinera
"I mentioned on Twitter how 41 years ago the world watched men walk on the moon," said Connie Preti of New York. "Today we are seeing men come out from the earth. It's equally striking."
Close attention was paid to meeting their medical needs.
"Things are extraordinarily well, better than expected," Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich told reporters Wednesday afternoon, by which time 17 of the miners had reached the hospital, where each underwent a battery of tests that included a chest X-ray, an electrocardiogram, a heart echocardiogram, a dental exam, a nutritional evaluation, a skin test, an eye exam, a psychological exam and a psychiatric exam "if it's necessary."
One of the miners was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit with pneumonia, he said. "It's possible that we may have to prolong his stay," said Manalich, who would not identify the miners with health problems.
Two of the miners were expected to undergo "extensive dental surgery" Thursday. They were expected to require general anesthesia, he said.
In general, though, the miners "really are in good condition -- emotional condition and physical condition," he said. Some of them may be able to leave the hospital Thursday afternoon, he said.
Outside the hospital, cries of joy could be heard coming from inside. Chants of "Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!" emanated from the hospital windows.
Hospital workers in the parking lot said the miners were watching the coverage of the rescues and celebrating as their friends were pulled from the mine's depths.
As the second miner, Mario Sepulveda, left the rescue hole, he reached into a large yellow bag and handed what appeared to be rocks to officials and rescue workers.
Sepulveda cracked jokes and led the crowd in a cheer for Chile. As the 40-year-old was hauled away on a stretcher for medical evaluation, he asked his wife, "How's the dog?"
Later, in a video conference, he said his time underground had changed him.
"I buried 40 years of my life down there, and I'm going to live a lot longer to be a new person," he said. "I think I have learned a lot of wonderful lessons about taking the good path in life. For those of you able to call your wives, or your husbands, do so."
Amid the sea of Chilean flags greeting the emerging miners was a collection of small, handheld Bolivian flags for Carlos Mamani, the lone Bolivian miner.
His family back home was restrained in their emotions for much of the morning while watching the rescue on TV. But they jumped up and clapped when they saw him kneel on the ground.
Next up was the youngest of the lot: Jimmy Sanchez, an 18-year-old who worked as an environmental assistant -- and the father of a newborn girl.
The 12th miner to be rescued, Edison Pena, was no longer "All Shook Up," as the Elvis Presley song goes. An Elvis fanatic who led the trapped miners in sing-alongs, Pena, 34, looked fit and exuberant. He waved and shook hands and hugged colleagues, loved ones and dignitaries.
Prior to making their ascent, each of the miners donned green coveralls made of moisture-resistant material and personalized with their names.
Each stepped into the narrow capsule, which was equipped with communications equipment and a supply of oxygen. Each wore sunglasses to protect their eyes -- which had become accustomed to the darkness of the caved-in mine.
Then they awaited the order to hoist to begin their journey to the lights above.
The first miners to reach the surface were deemed the most fit, but also possessed the most technical know-how so that they could advise the rescue teams.
The next five were the physically weakest, a term perhaps not appropriate for anyone who has survived more than two months in the bowels of the earth. But one of the miners has diabetes; another has black lung. The miner with pneumonia was given a face mask connected to an oxygen tank, Manalich said.
The last to come out was expected to be Luis Alberto Iribarren, 54. The shift supervisor volunteered to stay behind until all his men were safe.
"It's extremely exciting for us. ... It's a very emotional moment for us," said Jeff Hart, one of the lead drillers who assisted with the rescue efforts. "We worked real long and hard on that, and to actually see the capsule come through the first time through the hole that we drilled was just unbelievable."
For the men, the only contact with the outside world since August 5 had been via a small bore hole through which rescuers dropped food, water and other supplies.A letter sent by one of them said they had vowed never to fully reveal the details of their underground misery.
High above the miners, family members and 1,500 journalists from 39 nations held their collective breath as the rescue mission continued throughout the day and into the night.
And as each trapped man emerged safe, they exhaled.
CNN's Karl Penhaul, Patrick Oppmann, Gary Tuchman, Moni Basu, Holly Yan, Tom Watkins, Dana Ford, Ed Payne, Azadeh Ansari and Luis Carlos Velez contributed to this report.