Trapped Peruvian miners' rescue could take 3 more days

Oscar Valdes said he had spoken to the miners, who are trapped in a collapsed mountainside shaft 175 miles southeast of Lima, adding that their health appears to be fine despite "being subjected to a lot of cold".

Valdes said "The temperature is low because of the humidity," revealing the miners are communicating with rescuers, and being provided with liquid, via a hosepipe.

Twenty-six feet of earth and rock is blocking the entrance to the mine shaft, which collapsed last Thursday after an explosion thought to have been set by the miners themselves.