There is fresh hope that 33 Chilean miners, who have been trapped underground for the past 43 days, could be rescued by early November.
A drill boring a rescue hole has now reached the men, but it is not wide enough to bring them back to the surface.
Officials say it will take weeks for the 700m tunnel to be redrilled.
The miners greeted the arrival of the drillhead with an exhilarated message of thanks to their companions on the surface who are working around the clock through the country's bicentennial independence celebrations.
Now the miners will be aiding their own rescue effort by clearing away the debris that falls into the mine as the drill bores through the mine's ceiling.
Chile’s Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said the latest developments have put government efforts ahead of the timeline for an early November rescue.
The country’s navy has designed a rescue capsule that will be used to winch the men to the surface one by one after the bore hole reaches 70cm (28'') in diameter.
Chile's government brought in a team of NASA experts to help keep the men mentally and physically fit during the protracted rescue bid.
They lost an estimated 10kg each during the 17 days before they were found alive.
