An Underground Miracle: The Chilean Miners for TIME’s 2010 Person of the Year?

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One of the 33 Chilean miners celebrates being rescued

HUGO INFANTE / GOVERNMENT OF CHILE / REUTERS (Via TIME.com)

For more than 10 weeks, the world watched as 33 men battled through an underground ordeal of unforeseen proportions.

After the Aug. 5 collapse of their small copper-and-gold mine in the northern city of Copiapó, teamwork was the miners mantra to survival. They relied on limited rations to keep worries of starvation at bay. They shared oxygen capsules, glucose and rehydration tablets to keep their digestive systems in good health. They sang songs to keep their morale high.

(See photos of rescuers maintaining contact with the miners.)

That same camaraderie persisted to the bitter end. More than 50 days after the miners were discovered buried alive in the dilapidated structure, they were rescued — one at a time. The process of the Phoenix capsule lowering its way down a 2,050-foot shaft to secure each man’s safety was indicative of what makes them a candidate for TIME’s Person of the Year. Their display of togetherness helped keep their individual stories alive. More importantly, their survival helped open up a glaring issue — safety rights for workers. “Our principal wealth isn’t copper. It’s the miners,” Chilean President Sebastián Piñera told business owners after the rescue mission was completed. “Realizing that will make us a lot more productive and efficient at the same time.”

(See photos of the miners being brought to safety.)

More than 28,000 readers have tabbed the Chilean miners as their choice for Person of the Year. Time is running out to support for any one of our 25 finalists. Head over to TIME.com now to log your vote.

(See how the miners won respect for Chile’s workers.)