The Tasmanian mining town of Beaconsfield is celebrating the safe rescue of Brant Webb and Todd Russell from the Beaconsfield Gold mine.
Todd and Brant walked out of the mine as promised, despite spending 14 days trapped in a small cage 925 metres, almost 1 kilometer, below the surface after a devastating cave-in that sadly took the life of their mate Larry Knight.
Rescuers broke through the final section of vertical rock separating them from the men overnight. The rock, 5 times harder than concrete, had required careful drilling by volunteers who at times lay cramped on their backs in the dark to create the rescue shaft.
Mine manager Matthew Gill says they used hand tools to follow probes into the cavity. "The amount of rock we had to break was less [than we thought]," he said.
The rescue team's Rex Johnson says the pair was waiting with bags packed. "We laid [a stretcher] on the floor and they just laid on top of that and we just dragged them out" he said.
The men were taken to a special crib room deep in the mine, where they were able to shower. They then walked from the mine, lifting their arms above their heads in triumph, keeping a promise they made a week ago to walk out unaided.
In a symbolic gesture, they removed safety tags from a board which showed them still below ground.
The men were then able to greet their wives, children and friends before being taken by ambulance to Launceston General Hospital. Friends yelled messages of support as the two men waved through the open doors of the ambulances as they drove past hundreds of cheering supporters.
Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten describes the rescue as "the great escape". "This is the biggest escape from the biggest prison we have, the planet," Mr Shorten said.
Celebrations in the main street of Beaconsfield are in full swing. Mr Russel's brother-in-law, Allan Bennett, says it is the outcome everyone has been waiting and hoping for.
A local drinking hole has now become the hub of the celebrations, giving many of the rescuers their first chance to unwind. It is doing a roaring trade as people gather to celebrate the men's rescue.
Mr Shorten says it is a day that people across the nation will never forget. "These guys have come out of their mine cage into history, it's phenomenal," he said.
"Watching these people cope, the families will tell their stories in their own way but just the glimpses I saw, they're strong people.
"Just as these men have escaped, the great escape from under the ground, this a great escape for the families, they too have been released with these men."
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