Trapped Aussie miners freed after 2 weeks

BEACONSFIELD, Australia - Bells pealed and sirens wailed as this tiny mining town erupted in jubilation Tuesday after two miners were rescued from the kennel-sized cage where they had been trapped more than a half mile underground for two weeks.

But the joy quickly turned to grief as mourners gathered to bury a miner who died in the same rock collapse that trapped his co-workers.

“There’s not many things in life that take us through so many emotions at the same time,” said Graham Mulligan, spokesman for a Christian motorcycle club which escorted Larry Knight’s coffin from the church to a nearby cemetery.

“This whole ordeal has taken us from horror to shock, grief, sadness, joy and happiness and then back to sadness again.”

'The Great Escape'
Brant Webb, 37, and Todd Russell, 34, punched the air as they walked out of the Beaconsfield Gold Mine before dawn Tuesday, freed by rescue crews drilling round-the-clock. Hundreds of well-wishers gathered at the mine gates erupted in cheers.

The miners hugged family and friends before climbing into two ambulances, laughing and joking. Before going, they removed their identity tags from the wall outside the elevator — a standard safety measure when miners finish a shift.

The men also handed out small cards that read: “The Great Escape. To all who have helped and supported us and our families, we cannot wait to shake your hand and (buy) you a Sustagen,” referring to a nutrition drink the pair sipped during their ordeal.

Afp / AFP - Getty Images Undated handout photos of Australian miners Todd Russell, left, and Brant Webb.

As news of the rescue spread, a fire engine drove with its siren blaring through Beaconsfield, located in the southern state of Tasmania. A church bell not used since the end of World War II rang out in celebration.

Webb and Russell were then driven through Beaconsfield in two ambulances, their back doors open so they could wave to townsfolk, and underwent tests at a hospital. The families said neither they nor the miners planned to speak to the media Tuesday.

One of the rescuers, who identified himself only as Peter, said many miners celebrated with free beer at a local bar before turning to the more somber business of the day — burying their colleague Knight.

Russell limped into the service, which was attended by hundreds of Beaconsfield residents, but otherwise looked fit and healthy, the beard he had grown during his underground ordeal trimmed to a goatee. It was not immediately clear if Webb also attended.

Knight’s family had delayed the service hoping the trapped miners would be able to attend.

Webb and Russell were buried after a small earthquake April 25 trapped the safety cage they were working in under tons of rock.

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