Copiapo, Chile (CNN) -- A rescue drill is 40 meters (about 130 feet) away from reaching 33 trapped Chilean miners and should get to them within 24 hours, the nation's mining minister said Friday afternoon.
Efforts to start pulling the miners out should begin from three to 10 days afterward, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said.
Medical and rescue personnel will be in place to start extracting and treating the miners Monday night, Health Minister Jaime Manalich said.
Barring any complications, it will take about 24 to 36 hours to remove all the miners, Manalich said. They will be taken by helicopter to a hospital in the town of Copiapo -- approximately a 15-minute flight.
Miners who are healthy enough will be allowed to visit briefly with family members in a reunion area before being taken to the hospital, Manalich said.
Health officials have increased the miners' physical activity in recent days to gauge how they can handle the stress of being removed, Manalich said. The overall response has been good, he said, though some miners have exhibited anxiety or have had minor cardiac issues.
Before any miners are brought to the surface, Manalich said, authorities will lower a doctor and a rescuer to the chamber where the men have been holed up since August 5.
The miners have been in contact with the outside world through a small bore hole that is being used to send them food, water, supplies and other necessities.
CNN
