Millions watch drama unfold

Associated Press

They were inspired by the miners’ fortitude and camaraderie. They were amazed by the engineering feat that saved the men’s lives. And they were grateful for some good news for a change.

From Australia to the coal fields of Appalachia, people in seemingly every corner of the world followed the Chilean miners’ rescue Wednesday on TV and the Internet, and many were uplifted by the experience.

The riveting images of the men being brought to the surface to see the sun, breathe fresh air and hug their loved ones for the first time in two months were broadcast live to millions of people in the U.S. and across much of the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa throughout the night and during the day.

Viewers were transfixed by the Chilean state video feed: a you-are-there view from a camera mounted on top of the rescue capsule that carried the miners to the surface. It showed the brilliant white light at the end of the tunnel getting bigger and bigger and finally exploding like a starburst as each man ascended.

Many watched the first miner rescued on their laptops late Tuesday night and continued following the drama on their computers at work Wednesday. Joyous reaction poured out across Twitter and Facebook, as viewers worldwide witnessed the story.

In Mexico, some Internet users posted bittersweet messages, praising Chile’s government but expressing regret that their country could not save the 65 miners who died in 2006 after an explosion in a coal mine.

In China, the rescue was prominently displayed on virtually all the major Chinese news websites. State television ran a segment on its evening broadcast, while the official news agency China’s mining industry is considered by far the world’s deadliest, with more than 2,600 coal miners killed last year in blasts and other accidents. The rescue was big news in South Korea, Japan, Germany, France and Poland, a coal mining country that has also suffered many tragic mining accidents.