Chilean miners' rescue capsule works in test

The engineer leading Chilean rescue efforts says his team has successfully tested a rescue capsule nearly all the way down to where the 33 miners are trapped.

Andres Sougarett said the empty capsule descended 600 metres, just 12.3 metres short of the chamber wherethe miners have been trapped since an Aug. 5 collapse at the San Jose Mine nearCopiago in northern Chile. He said all would be in place at midnight Tuesday night to begin the rescue.

Mining Minister Laurence Golborne told reporters Monday that the capsule performed very well in the hole that it didn't even loosen any dust.

"We didn't send it [all the way] down because we could risk that someone will jump in," Golborne told reporters.

The steel capsule, which will carryone person at a time,was lowered by winch into the hole after its top54 metres were encased in tubing.

Officialshave drawnup a secret list of which miners should come out first, but the order could change after paramedics and a mining expert first descend in the capsule dubbed Phoenix Ito evaluate the men and oversee the journey upward.

First out will be the four fittest of frame and mind, Health Minister Jaime Manalich said. Next will be 10 who are weakest or ill. One miner suffers from hypertension. Another is a diabetic, and others have dental and respiratory infections or skin lesions from the mine's oppressive humidity.

The last out is expected to be Luiz Urzua, who was shift chief when the men became entombed, several family members of miners told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they did not want to upset government officials.

After being extracted, the miners will be ushered through inflatable tunnels, like the ones used in sports stadiums, to ambulances that will take them to a triage station. Once cleared by doctors there, they are to be taken to another area where they'll be reunited with one to three family members chosen by each miner.

After the reunion, the miner will be driven to a heliport for the flight to Copiapo.