Chilean miners are moving to a drier, cooler site deeper inside the San Jose gold and copper mine where they have been trapped since a cave-in 24 days ago.
Some of the 33 miners have developed fungal infections and body sores from the conditions in the part of the mine.
The miners are moving the camp from level 105 to level 75 which is a drier area.
The new spot is about 300 meters deeper in the mine.
The miners were leaving a location 700 meters (2,300 feet) below ground, where they had established separate areas for eating, sleeping and storing supplies.
Meanwhile, drilling of a tunnel large enough to pull the miners out one by one is to start tomorrow.
Chile is looking at ways to speed up the rescue of 33 miners trapped deep underground for 23 days who officials have said might have to wait three to four months to see the light of day.
Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said rescuers were considering other options, including digging a second escape shaft to rescue the miners, who survived over two weeks on mouthfuls of tinned tuna, cookies and milk.
‘Obviously we are looking into other options and we will welcome any option that speeds up the rescue,’ Mr Golborne told reporters at the mine in the rugged mountains of the Atacama desert near the city of Copiapo.
Officials plan to start digging a shaft about 66 cm in diameter today that would take three months to reach the trapped miners. They would be lifted up one by one with a pulley.
Rescuers said yesterday they were considering drilling a second shaft closer to the tunnel where the miners are located that would take about 60 days to reach them.
The miners were found alive last Sunday after they tied a note to a drill looking for them 700m underground, triggering celebrations across Chile and focusing world attention on what would be the toughest mining rescue ever attempted.
In a video released this week, bearded miners, some of them noticeably thin, explained how they organized themselves to survive in a tiny refuge in the bowels of the mountain.
They said they had areas designated to sleep and play dominoes as well as a space for water and items like toothpaste and deodorant.
Government officials are worried five of the men have started to show signs of depression after they did not appear in a video filmed by the miners.
The government is bringing in NASA experts for tips on how to help the miners cope with lengthy confinement.
Rescuers have started to lower card games, miniature video projectors and MP3 players to battle boredom inside the hot and humid tunnel.
