After two months in the depths of “hell” after being buried underground when a cave-in trapped 33 miners in Chile, rescue is finally near. Sensing that their ordeal is almost over, these miners are sending hell souvenirs up through narrow holes drilled in the ground, letters that loved ones sent them to keep up their courage or grimy clothes that they want to be kept as keepsakes.

To surface eventually, these miners have survived two agonizing months with a grit that has astounded the world. Bring memories of when a submarine sunk in icy Russian waters, and help reached too late, experts say rescue efforts should speed up now that there is a glimmer of hope.

In a daunting rescue operations as far as mining history goes, engineers are drilling a shaft that is a almost 250 stories deep to reach the miners. It will then take days to hoist up each miner in a capsule that has been built especially for this purpose. It has been a heart-stopping wait for relatives near this gold and copper mine as they held banners and lit candles.

The collapse in the mining heartland happened on August 5,and 17 days after being buried, they were found all alive, in a mining incident miracle. They sent up a message tied to a drill, setting off Chilean celebrations. Ducts were used as lifelines to pass food and essential medicines.

Now the traffic is two-way, with the miners sending up hell souvenirs from their incredible survival story.
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