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Rescued miner Florencio Avalos, 31, hugs his wife at about 11:13 p.m. ET, moments after leaving the capsule that brought him to the surface.

First of 33 trapped Chilean miners rescued

October 11, 2010
Associated Press

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile - Florencio Avalos, the first of 33 miners to be rescued, has surfaced after 69 days underground.

He stepped out of a rescue capsule amid sobs from his young son and received a bracing bear hug from Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.

Avalos smiled widely as he hugged rescuers, then Pinera, as his wife, two sons and father looked on. His 7-year-old son Bairo sobbed, as did Chile's first lady, Cecilia Morel. Then Avalos was escorted into a medical triage center for the first of a battery of tests.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile (AP) - Florencio Avalos, the first of 33 miners to be rescued, has surfaced after 69 days underground.

Avalos climbed out of the rescue capsule and was immediately embraced by rescue workers and others, as bystanders cheered and clapped.