Tension is rising. The attempt to free Chile's 33 miners, who for months have been trapped 700 metres underground, is due to begin on Wednesday.
 
RNW's correspondent Claudia Latorre in Copiapó, the nearest town to the mine, says the event has attracted the massed international media. An enormous screen has been erected in Copiapó's central square.

Meanwhile, the town council is planning to throw a huge party, during which the mayor will sing a song he has composed himself.
 
Fortune
The usually sleepy provincial town has been turned into a hive of activity day and night. The Chilean authorities say the rescue of the miners will begin at midnight local time (03:00 UTC).
 
All Copiapó's hotels are full and the supply of rental cars has run out. Lots of locals have hired out their front rooms to foreign journalists so they can film the miners entering the town after they have been discharged from Copiapó hospital. The asking price for a room with a view has risen to as much as 140 euros per day, a fortune for local people.

Changed
The 33 colliers have been trapped in the mine since 5 August. "They are in for enormous media attention," Claudia Latorre explains. "And, at the same time, they will be seeing their families again for the first time. Their lives will have been totally changed".