Taz miners free!

2 Tasmanian miners trapped 3,000ft down for over 2 weeks were freed last night.

The miners wept as they waved to well-wishers after a massive mission to save them.
As they breathed fresh air for the first time in a fortnight they punched the air in jubilation.

Mine manager Matthew Gill said: “I am amazed at their condition. My knees are shaking.”

The men — Brant Webb, 37 and Todd Russell, 34 — were able to walk unaided to their families before being taken by ambulance for check-ups.

They were trapped in a remote part of Beaconsfield, Tasmania, when an earthquake hit the mine on April 25. A third miner, Larry Knight, 44, died.Brant and Todd survived the first five days on a single cereal bar as they crouched in a steel cage.

Rescue work began when thermal imaging cameras picked up their body heat, proving they were alive.

Rescuers pushed water, vitamins and clothes through a pipe. The pair were also given comforts like iPods.

But digging a tunnel big enough to pluck them to safety took a week. Miners bored through tonnes of rock five times harder than concrete. As they got near they had to use hand tools to avoid a second cave-in.

The rescue news was heralded by the mine’s siren wailing and the town’s church bells ringing. It was dubbed “The Beaconsfield Miracle”.

The ambulance doors were left open so crowds could cheer the men. Aussie PM John Howard said: “I just want to say how relieved and elated the whole country is. Everyone pulled together.”