Plan to speed up rescue of miners

Engineers were searching during the weekend for ways to speed up the rescue of 33 miners trapped deep underground for 23 days.

Officials in Chile have said the men might have to wait three to four months to see the light of day. The Mining Minister, Laurence Golborne, said rescuers were considering other options, including digging a second escape shaft.

Yesterday, rescuers were planning to start digging a shaft about 2ft in diameter that would take three months to reach the miners. It is estimated that a second shaft closer to the tunnel where the miners are trapped would take about 60 days to reach them.