After more than two months of being trapped underground, 33 Chilean miners seem to be hours away from being reached by a rescue drill.
The country’s Mining Minister, Laurence Golborne, announced on Friday that a rescue drill is approximately 130 feet away from where the miners are trapped and it should reach them in as little as 24 hours. However, once the drill reaches them, CNN reports that it could take a few more days until all of the miners are free.
Health experts have been working with the miners, increasing their physical activity, in order to determine how well they will withstand the efforts of rescue. Reportedly, many seem physically capable of the rescue, though some have had issues with anxiety.
(To see just how the miner’s have survived, check out TIME’s story on their mental health.)
What’s the first thing the miners will be doing once they are free? Well if Chilean President Sebastian Pinera keeps his promise, each miner will receive a hug from the president as soon as they are pulled from the shaft.
