Copiapo, Chile (CNN) -- Some of the families camped outside the San Jose mine, waiting for rescuers to reach 33 workers trapped underground, fear Chilean President Sebastian Pinera may be playing politics with the rescue operation in an effort to boost his popularity.
Pinera visited the mine Sunday and spoke with the trapped workers. He also presented their families with a copper plate engraved with the words miners first used to tell rescuers they were alive, "We're fine, in the shelter, all 33".
"This is all politics. It's dirty. It's trickery and propaganda. They're playing with the feelings of our loved ones," said Nelly Bugueno, mother of trapped miner Victor Zamora.
The mine rescue appears to have boosted Pinera's popularity at a time when he was under fire in other parts of the country.
In the south of Chile, Pinera is battling a hunger strike by 34 Mapuche Indians, part of the indigenous group's ongoing campaign for independence.
Along the central and southern coast, some Chileans accuse the government of being too slow to rebuild after the February earthquake and tsunami.
But his overall approval rating surged to 56 percent in August, according to a survey by Adimark GfK, a 10 percent increase over the July numbers. The Chilean research company said the increase was "directly related with the rescue operations of the trapped miners in the San Jose mine".
CNN
