'great escape'

agldacheng

SYDNEY: Two Australian miners trapped in a small cage deep underground for 14 days walked out of the mine yesterday, triumphantly thrusting their arms into the air after rescuers freed them shortly before dawn.

Brant Webb, 37, and Todd Russell, 34, wearing yellow jackets and mining helmets with their lamps shining brightly, walked confidently to a large board and removed their name cards declaring they had ended their shift underground.

Their wives rushed to hug them before scores of rescuers descended on them hugging and shaking hands.

\"This is the great escape. This is the biggest escape from the biggest prison we have, the planet,\" said Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten.

A third miner, Larry Knight, 44, was killed in the cave-in. Local media said Webb and Russell were believed to have attended Knight's private funeral yesterday after being given a clean bill of health and discharged from hospital.

The miners were trapped 925 metres underground in a wire cage, about the size of a double bed, on April 25 after a cave-in caused by an earthquake at the Beaconsfield Gold Mine on the southern island of Tasmania.

\"They are in excellent condition. They are tough Tasmanian miners,\" said Dr Stephen Ayre at nearby Launceston Hospital. Russell ate a breakfast of steak and eggs before leaving hospital.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard praised the rescue operation as a triumph of \"Australian mateship\" as miners from Beaconsfield and mine rescue experts from around the country worked against the odds to save the lives of two colleagues.

The Beaconsfield mine has been closed and miners paid a month's wages while an inquiry is held to determine whether it is safe to return. Unions have raised concerns over mine safety after a series of cave-ins in recent years and a state government inquiry will be held into the latest cave-in.

News of the rescue was heralded by the mine's siren and the bell at the small town's Uniting Church pealed in celebration. Beaconsfield's Club Hotel poured free beer to rescuers.

Many Australians woke before dawn to watch the final stages of the rescue live on television.