The process involves drilling a bore hole and using explosives or water to force gas to the surface.

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Officials said both efforts -- to drill a rescue shaft and widen a bore hole -- could be carried out concurrently.

CNN: Drilling to reach Chile miners yet to begin

Supplies -- such as food, clothing and letters -- are sent down to the miners via metal cylinders known as "carrier pigeons" through the second bore hole.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Last week, rescue coordinator Andre Sougarret said initially the Schramm T-130, would be used to drill a 12-inch bore hole down to the miners to enable rescue workers to deliver larger survival items for the miners, but he said if possible the same drill would be used to widen the hole to 28 inches -- sufficient to hoist the miners back to the surface.

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In Chinese, we say that you can bore a hole in a stone by the steady dripping of water.

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"In Scandinavian countries, just one company will come and excavate the bore-hole, do the design, commissioning and plumbing - the whole thing, " he observed.

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Next week, if all goes according to plan, a small mountain of snow will be melted, repeatedly sterilised and then injected in a high-pressure stream of near-boiling water to clear a bore-hole through the two miles of the ice-sheet.

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On Thursday I reported from the CEH on the latest findings about how much water has soaked into the ground - and saw a bore-hole used for measuring water levels actually spouting out water because the ground was so saturated.

BBC: Predicting the next big flood

Normally, when a well begins to flow, the release of pressure cleans up the well bore of contaminants and other debris in the hole during the first few hours it is opened up.

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