ENTOMBED 700 metres beneath the surface of the earth, 33 Chilean miners – some showing signs of depression and “severe dermatological problems” – each got a gift that’s really going to solve all their problems: a miniature Bible.

According to this report, Carlos Parra, an evangelical preacher, arrived at the San Jose mine in Copiapo with 33 miniature Bibles that he had custom-manufactured to fit the dimensions of the small hole connecting to the trapped miners.



The miners were trapped by an August 5 collapse, and rescuers established contact with them by drilling a 6-inch-wide (15-centimeter-wide) hole to the shelter. That hole and two others are now lifelines, delivering supplies, communications and fresh air to the miners while they wait for an escape tunnel to be drilled.