Residents celebrate when Florencio Avalos became the first miner to reach the surface, while watching the rescue on a large screen in a public square in Copiapo, Chile, yesterday.

Chilean miner Mario Sepulveda (C) removes from a bag a few souvenirs that he brought up from the underground refuge after he became the second miner to be rescued.

The capsule carrying rescued miner Mario Sepulveda, not seen, still inside the capsule, arrives at the surface.

Florencio Avalos is embraced by President Sebastian Pinera after he reached the surface as the first of the 33 trapped miners to be hoisted to safety.

Inside the mine

Video footage from inside the mine shows the rescue capsule containing José Ojeda Vidal, 46, the seventh miner to be rescued, about to make its ascent to the surface.

The first miner Florencio Avalos is rescued successfully back to the ground.

SD-Agencies