they're out!

[erilyn]

Two Tasmanian miners, Todd Rusell and Brant Webb, have been trapped almost a kilometre underground for two weeks after a rockfall that killed another miner, Larry Knight. His body was found twelve days ago, and the worse was assumed. But nine days ago, they were found trapped in a small cavity, but they weren't safely accessible and a new tunnel had to be dug to them.

At 5am, a churchbell in Beaconsfield (last rung at the end of WWII) rang out to let the town know the good news. Then just before 6am, they walked out of the mine, just like they said they would.

Larry Knight's family had postponed the funeral til they could attend, but once the rescue was taking longer than first thought, they had to go ahead with it. It's today.

ETA: They broke the church bell!

Comments

[raynedanser.livejournal.com]

Oh YAY!!! That is such wonderful news.

[ex_halo669]

I watched them both walk out, live on telly this morning. then I cried.

wow. such an amazing rescue.

[xoverau.livejournal.com]

HURRAY! I'm so glad this had a happier ending than the one here.

[nopseud]

I saw this story mentioned in a few places sometime early last week, and yesterday afternoon I suddenly wondered if they'd got them out alive or not. I couldn't believe it when I went and checked the ABC news site and they were still down there after so long.

[engenda.livejournal.com]

Isn't it just the most fantastic news? Thank God. And they look so good!

It's a good day.

Although, the funeral for Larry Knight is this afternoon. Here's hoping Todd Russell and Brant Webb can make it.

[beckyo.livejournal.com]

OMG!!! That's wonderful!!!!

[nannerz2cool.livejournal.com]

How awesome!

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Dad woke me up telling me the news at about 6:40 (a good half an hour before my alarm was going to go off), so I was like "yay! but I should still be asleep dammit". But then I got up and put the tv on and cried.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I know I was thinking of the US tragedy when this happened.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

It just dragged on and on after they were found, it's surreal that its finally over!

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

So much better than I was expecting them to look (I didn't realise at first that they were going to be able to shower and change downbelow).

Brant Webb has already checked himself out of hospital.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

It's simply unbelievable - I think the whole of Australia is partying this morning.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

The best news to wake up to - all to often we wake up to news of disasters, but this morning it was nothing but good news.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Best news to wake up to this morning :)

[vaudevilles.livejournal.com]

They newsflashed it this morning on the radio as they got free - literally right at the same time as I woke up... (kiwi media's been all over it too) and I cried just at the radio report!

Such good news and amazing technology to be able to get them out.

[not-nele.livejournal.com]

Oh thank god. I stayed up as long as I could to find out and then I crashed. Jesus, thats crazy.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bettina_/]

That's great news! :-)

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Apparently something quite like this has never been done before, which is why they had to keep changing what they were doing. Makes the whole thing even more remarkable!

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I didn't even hear about the breakthrough last night before I went to bed, so that it'd finally happened was quite a surprise this morning *g*.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

It was so good to wake up to this, after so many delays for them.