The first of the 33 miners trapped deep underground for more than two months in northern Chile has been rescued.
Florencio Avalos, 31, was winched up a 624m (2,047ft) shaft in a custom-built capsule, wearing an oxygen mask and a belt monitoring his vital signs.
The operation began at 2318 (0218 GMT) with a technical expert being lowered down, and is expected to take 48 hours.
Earlier, President Sebastian Pinera said he hoped what began as a possible tragedy, would end as a blessing.
"I know tonight there will be tears of happiness in all Chilean homes," he told reporters. "We made a promise to never surrender, and we kept it."
"I am sure the miners will not be the same people they were before the accident, and the Chilean people will not be the same people."
Excitement
- order of rescue
- 1-10: Florencio Avalos, Mario Sepulveda, Juan Illanes, Carlos Mamani, Jimmy Sanchez, Osman Araya, Jose Ojeda, Claudio Yanez, Mario Gomez, Alex Vega
- 11-20: Jorge Galleguillos, Edison Pena, Carlos Barrios, Victor Zamora, Victor Segovia, Daniel Herrera, Omar Reygadas, Esteban Rojas, Pablo Rojas
- 21-33: Dario Segovia, Yonni Barrios, Samuel Avalos, Carlos Bugueno, Jose Henriquez, Renan Avalos, Claudio Acuna, Franklin Lobos, Richard Villarroel, Juan Aguilar, Raul Bustos, Pedro Cortez, Ariel Ticona, Luis Urzua
As night fell at the San Jose mine, near the northern city of Copiapo, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said the rescue operation had been delayed by two hours, and would get under way after 2200 (0100 GMT).
He told reporters an empty "Phoenix" capsule would first be sent down and up the 624m (2,047ft) shaft for further tests, before a technical expert was lowered very slowly to allow him to examine the shaft in detail.
After returning to the surface, he would report on his findings and then repeat the process at a faster speed, he said.
Only after a navy special forces paramedic had been lowered and has carried out an assessment of each of the miners, would the first be winched up, he added.
Each ride up the shaft takes about 20 minutes, and rescuers believe they should be able to rescue one miner each hour.
However, once the technical expert reached the bottom of the mine, it was decided to immediately send up Mr Avalos, the foreman and second-in-command at the mine. He will be temporarily leaving behind his younger brother, Renan, who is another of those trapped.
The last man is to be the shift leader, Luis Urzua, who has been credited with showing the leadership that enabled the miners to survive the first 17 days when they were entirely cut off from the outside world.
Correspondents say there is a sense of excitement on the surface, with the miners' families counting down to the start of the rescue.
President Pinera has spoken to the miners over a communication line but hopes to greet them in person, says the BBC's Vanessa Buschschluter at the scene.
Bolivian President Evo Morales is also expected to arrive at San Jose to greet Carlos Mamani, a Bolivian national and the only non-Chilean in the group. He is scheduled to be the third miner brought to the surface.
Medical attention The miners will wear a "bio-harness" designed for astronauts, which will monitor their heart rate, breathing, temperature and oxygen consumption.
The top of the shaft has been reinforced with metal casing to prevent crumbling surface rocks from breaking away during the rescue. Experts said the rest of the escape shaft was dug through solid rock and would not break up.
Officials said the first few men to be winched to the surface would include some of the most psychologically stable and experienced of the miners, in case something goes wrong during the first few rescues.
For the miners' families who have mounted a vigil, the final hours are upon them Next would be those who are weakest or ill, the added. One miner suffers from hypertension. Another is a diabetic, and others have dental and respiratory infections or skin lesions caused by the humidity in the mine.
After their rescue, the miners will be taken to a triage station. When they have been cleared by doctors there, they will be reunited with their families.
Later, they will be flown to the hospital in the nearby city of Copiapo, which is on standby to receive them. Outside the hospital, barriers have been set up to cope with the crowds of onlookers and journalists.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment