(CNN) -- Steel tubing has begun to be placed to reinforce the path that connects the 33 miners trapped in Chile to the surface, the final step before the extraction of the miners can begin, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said Sunday.
Three of the tubes are already in place, he said. About 15 or 16 tubes will be placed in total.
"We are expecting no major problems," Golborne said
If all goes according to plan, the first of the miners could be pulled from the mine by Wednesday, he said. But the health and safety of the miners remained the top priority, he added.
Given their circumstances, the miners, who have been trapped since August 5, are in "very good" health, Health Minister Jaime Manalich said. Their spirits also remain high, he said.
When he told the miners through video conference that they would have to choose an order to be rescued in, there was no shortage of volunteers to go last, Manalich said.
"They continue to have an admirable attitude," he said.
The last six hours before the rescue starts, the miners will be switched over to a liquid diet and vitamins ahead of their trip to the surface.
CNN
