Trapped Chilean Miners Sing National Anthem in Their Refuge

The first video released of the 33 men trapped deep in a Chilean copper mine shows the men stripped to the waist and appearing slim but healthy, arm-in-arm, singing the national anthem and yelling "long live Chile, and long live the miners!"

Photo: Trapped Chilean Miners Sing National Anthem in Their Refuge

Trapped Chilean Miners Sing National Anthem in Their Refuge

The men made the video with a small camera sent down to them through a small emergency shaft drilled to their emergency shelter deep in the San Jose mine, The Associated Press reports.

Only about five minutes of the video were released to the public, but the full version, said to be up to 45 minutes long, was shown to families of the miners at a private screening. Many were said to have wept when they saw it.

The grainy, night-vision images showed some of the miners standing, while others were lying down and seemed to be just waking up.

The San Esteban mining company that hired the men is not paying for the rescue and says it may go bankrupt.

Instead, Chile's state-owned mining company is drilling an escape tunnel, which will cost about $1.7 million (£1.1 million.), according to Telegraph.co.uk.