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A frame grab shows Yonni Barrios (L) and Edison Pena Villaroel, two of the 33 miners trapped underground in a copper and gold mine at Copiapo - Source: Reuters -
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One of the trapped Chilean miners has two women fighting over him following a chance meeting at the entrance to the San Jose mine.
Yonni Barrios' wife, Marta Salinas, and his lover, Susana Valenzuela, met at a vigil held outside the mine, according to news.com.au .
Barrios came to attention after he used his first-aid training to treat sick workmates trapped underground with him.
He also vaccinated himself and the men against flu and pneumonia.
But now his image has taken a turn for the worse after Salinas discovered her husband's infidelity as she stood amongst the crowd of miners' family and friends at the vigil.
She discovered the affair when she heard Valenzuela shouting her husband's name.
However, Salinas said she is determined to keep her husband's love.
"Barrios is my husband. He loves me and I am his devoted wife. This woman has no legitimacy," she said.
Valenzuela, who met Barrios at a training course five years ago, has also vowed to stand by for his rescue, saying "we are in love. I'll wait for him".
Valenzuela claims the 50-year-old miner was planning to leave his wife for her.
The 33 miners have been stuck in the tunnel 700 metres below ground for nearly a month after a cave-in, and face another two to four months in isolation.
Dirty jokes
Contact between the 33 miners and the outside world took an irreverent twist when the men passed dirty jokes to the surface.
Rescuers have been sending food, medicine and letters from relatives to the men in narrow plastic tubes through a chute the diametre of a grapefruit.
The miners have been sending back replies - and a dirty "joke of
the day".
Health Minister Jaime Manalich blushed at one of the jokes, writing
it on a piece of paper to show reporters rather then be caught
saying it on tape. Relatives are sending jokes back, and rescue
workers are chiming in.
NASA experts called in
Chile's government has brought in a team of NASA experts to help
keep the men mentally and physically fit for the wait ahead, but
while the miners lost an estimated 10 kg each during the 17 days
before they were found alive, they are in remarkably good
health.
"They have faced this enormous challenge with such strength,
discipline and faith," said Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier
Errazuriz, who visited the mine head on Thursday to hold a mass,
and then sent rosaries blessed by Pope Benedict down to them.
Rescuers have drilled down 41 m so far, around 5% of the overall
target distance, and are looking at other options to try and get
the men out faster. They are stopping periodically to reinforce the
walls of the shaft.
President Sebastian Pinera has called on navy shipbuilders to build
a special cage that will be used to hoist the men one up at a time
through the escape shaft, which will be just 66 cm in
diameter.
