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.

BBC: New age of exploration in the hunt for extreme life

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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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

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

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