The amazing first interview with one of the trapped Chilean miners

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By CAROLINE GRAHAM
Last updated at 2:12 AM on 17th October 2010


He is the undisputed star of the Chilean mine rescue. When Mario Sepulveda became the second miner to surface after 69 days trapped half-a-mile below ground, his cheeky gift of souvenir rocks for the Chilean president combined with his wildly enthusiastic chants of ‘Viva Chile’ alongside his rescuers led to him being dubbed Super Mario on newspaper front pages around the world.

Since his rescue, the charismatic 40-year-old heavy-equipment operator has been deluged with lucrative media offers, including the chance to host his own Chilean TV show.
But yesterday Mario, speaking from his hospital bed before being released last night – leaving only one of the 33 in the care of doctors – spoke exclusively to The Mail on Sunday and revealed how his jaunty facade was hiding a man tormented by the ‘nightmare’ of what he and the others faced for the initial 17 days after they were trapped – fearing they would starve to death in their underground tomb.

Speaking for the first time about the ordeal, Mario broke the miners’ self-imposed ‘Pact of Silence’ to say: ‘There are certain things which need to be told. I want the world to know the truth about what we went through down there. We were swallowed into the bowels of hell but we have been reborn and now I feel it is my duty to tell what went on and the lessons to be learned.’

Mario, who ‘celebrated’ his 40th birthday on October 4 below ground, said he decided to tell The Mail on Sunday his story because we had treated his family – wife Elvira, 39, known to all as Katty, daughter Scarlette, 18, and 13-year-old son Francisco – ‘with dignity and kindness’.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1321230/Chilean-miners-World-exclusive-interview-Mario-Sepulveda.html#ixzz12ZoJruF5