Copiapo, Chile (CNN) -- An oil drill that rescuers are using to reach the trapped miners in Chile could provide a faster solution than the other two methods they have employed.
The Plan C drill has been able to reach depths of 1,000 meters in 24 hours, a representative of the company overseeing technical aspects of the operation said.
But officials do not know how long it will take the drill, which is normally used in very different circumstances to drill for oil, to reach the 33 men trapped 700 meters (2,300 feet) underground.
"Once we start drilling in earnest I will have a much better idea of how fast we can make it down the 700 meters to the miners," said Juan Carlos Marin, a representative for Schlumberger who is in Chile to oversee technical aspects of the operation.
He said engineers are dealing with hard rock and a much smaller area than they normally encounter.
"When we drill for oil, we have a much bigger target area of perhaps 50 or 60 meters. Here we have a margin of error of just four meters," Marin said.
CNN
