Comradeship kept us going: miner

Three of the Chilean miners rescued after being trapped underground for 69 days have been discharged from hospital as details emerged of how they survived.

The trio departed under high security in a government vehicle that was chased by a mob of photographers after hospital officials determined they were well enough to go home.

All 33 were admitted to hospital for treatment after their ordeal ended in a flawless rescue that inspired pride throughout Chile in an emotional saga that captivated the world's attention following a partial mine collapse in August.

"When one of us found it tough, the comrade at his side helped him," Chile mine survivor Richard Villaroel said, explaining how an extraordinary bond had sustained the trapped men.

The day after the 27-year-old mechanic emerged from the San Jose mine to be greeted by his heavily pregnant wife, Villaroel gave a brief interview about his nightmare 10-week ordeal to Chilean public broadcaster TVN.

"We all supported each other," he said from the hospital in the nearest main town of Copiapo, where the 33 survivors were receiving check-ups. "When one was doing badly, another would point him back in the right direction."

Villaroel said that despite trying conditions in the dark, dank and hot hole where the miners survived for 17 days on fragments of food before being discovered, decisions were reached calmly and democratically.

"If a decision was taken in which one person lost, most would still be winners," he explained.

Provisions were carefully rationed during that first harrowing period when the miners did not know whether they would ever be found alive and were terrified they would starve to death in their dreadful mineshaft tomb.

"The food was distributed in small portions, something that would last, the same for water," Villaroel said.

He then recalled his anguish when disaster struck on August 5.

"When the second rockfall came that was the scariest moment because the mine was completely blocked. I thought that I would never see my wife again or the birth of my son."

Villaroel paid special tribute to the vital role played by Jose Henriquez -- the 54-year-old evangelical preacher who acted as spiritual adviser to the miners, many of them staunch Catholics, during their hellish experience.

"He was the key man who kept us together through all those days," he said of the man dubbed "The Pastor."

Villaroel also described his final ascent in the claustrophobic Phoenix 2 rescue capsule, which brought the men up almost 700 feet (2,000 meters) one by one over more than 22 tense hours.

"I was calm," he said. "Everything was well prepared: I had headphones and could listen to music."

Trio leaves hospital

Hospital deputy director Jorge Montes said all 33 have undergone thorough medical exams, and those determined to have the fewest health problems were to be allowed to check out.

Another three of the miners had surgery under general anesthetic for serious dental problems, while one was being treated for pneumonia. Two were diagnosed with the lung disease silicosis that is common among miners.

"I'm well, really healthy," said Edison Pena, one of those leaving the hospital, speaking to a throng of journalists and others.

"I thought I would never come back... Thank you for believing we were alive," he added."

As he worked his way through the crown, Pena said, "We are not pop stars or anything, we're just ordinary people."

Montes said most of the men were in surprisingly good health given their 10-week ordeal.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, who had been at the San Jose Mine over the 22-hour rescue to greet the emerging miners, hailed their "miracle" salvation during a visit to the hospital.

He sparked cheers when he suggested they form a football team under one of their number who used to be a professional player, Frank Lobos, for an October 25 game against rescuers and officials.

"The winners will get La Moneda (the presidential palace), and the losers will have to go back into the mine," Pinera joked.

In the hospital, the miners still wore the dark glasses they received to protect their weakened eyes when they made the claustrophobic, 15-minute journey up from the underground cavern in the narrow Phoenix 2 rescue capsule.

But they also wore fresh clothes, gray T-shirts and hospital trousers, some in blue bathrobes, and were cleanly shaven -- looking much fresher than the drawn-out figures who joyously tasted freedom a day earlier.

The miners now have the challenge of charting out a life forever changed by their ordeal. Suddenly, they are household names in Chile and media stars around the world. They have been flooded with requests for interviews, and can even set their own price.

But Omar Reygadas, the son of one of the miners with the same name, said the men wanted everything to be shared equally.

"The miners have told the authorities they want to set up a foundation. They want it to cover everything (royalties from documentaries, films or books), and to cover all 33," he told AFP.