Original subtitles

Brant.

Really?

Stop it.

Are you really asleep?

Oh, who's that?

It's Daddy.

Hi.

Hello.

How's my beautiful boy?

Oh, did you have a good night?

Not so good.

Go back to bed sweetheart.

Really?

Yeah, go on, have a rest.

Thank you.

I think he's done a poo.

Fantastic.

Liam, I'm sleeping, get out of here.

No, I want you to play with me.

Carolyn!

Come on, Liam.

Your dad's sleeping.

I'm not bloody sleeping!

Come on, come have some breakfast.

I'm not hungry.

Sh.

It's bloody cold.

Come on, Dad, toughen up.

Gonna head over to.

Have a look around there.

Aren't you doing some family photos?

I don't know.

Cat will organize some bloody thing.

It'll be good.

You go, then.

Happy wife, happy life.

What were you saying?

Brant?

Yeah.

You should get the fish on.

Hey.

Should come out on the weekend with us.

Take the boat out.

There's so much fish around.

Not like Queensland, far from the catch out there.

Was it too many fishermen?

No fisherman, bloody walled off.

Mate, I was up there once, right,

on the Normandy River.

I was collecting my crabs, right.

There've got to be 800 in the back of the dinghy, okay.

All of a sudden, there's this smash

on the side of the boat,

and there's this bloody big crocodilly,

doing just a bit of that, huh?

This thing's like 30 foot long, serious.

It was like big enough to swallow me whole,

and that, my friends, is just one of the reasons

why you do not want to catch crabs.

Rach.

Come on, don't worry about the dishes.

Come in.

All right, let me clean up first.

Oh, clean up later, come on.

Come on.

You can do it later.

It's hot.

Oh, do I detect you may want to.

What, out here?

Yeah, it wouldn't be the first time.

It would be a first time with me.

That's rubbish.

We've done it out here before.

I haven't.

No?

Who am I thinking of?

I'm just kidding.

♪ I've spent some days thinking 'bout the pleasures you take ♪

♪ How minutes spent waiting were our steps closer to fate ♪

♪ Time took its way in the failure that we always made ♪

♪ Time had its way in the loving of leaving we've laid ♪

Would you play for Collingwood, Dad?

Nah, mate, it was Carleton who's after me.

The Blues, why didn't you play for them?

I wouldn't have.

He was good enough.

He just didn't like the training.

Why?

All right, what do you want for your crib?

I'm not going, gonna call in sick.

Todd, if you're going to call in sick,

can you get on with it?

Because I'm making rice.

Otherwise the kids and I'll have pasta.

Ah, stuff it.

I imagine we'll go in.

Hey Trent, when you gonna make me one of them bracelets?

Everybody else has got one.

I don't know.

Get in, Phil, you got to the end of the 980,

and finish what you were doing last night.

John, Trent, you go with him.

Ready plate the old cable box,

and head down to the 1080 level,

and begin prepping the area for blasting.

Mick, you're on the SEMA.

Brant, ready you go down with Todd to the 925 West.

No, I'm not doing stone work.

I thought you said I wasn't going to get down again.

Do me a favor.

I promise you'll be in air tops.

I'll get you out of there

and up to the factory plant.

Yeah, all right.

But only because you're a good bloke.

The rest of you know what you're doing.

All right, you wanna pick up the gear

or you want to drive the telehandler.

The telehandler, I reckon.

All right.

Meet you down there.

Yeah.

What'd you do with my rook?

I didn't touch it.

Yes, you did.

I wouldn't leave my pawn exposed like that.

- I don't know. - Not my problem, mate.

Pricks.

Which one of you bastards took my rook?

I will kick your ass from here to eternity.

Come on, let's get going everyone.

- Checkmate. - He's dropping.

Weather upset you, Brant?

Don't say that, mate.

It's never gonna happen.

Let's go, go, move it.

G'day.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

We don't have enough mesh.

Larry, haven't got enough mesh, mate.

Can you grab some for us?

Yeah, better let you down while I go get it.

Nah, we'll be all right, mate.

It'll only be a couple secs here.

Hey, Larry.

Chuck up me water bottle.

Thank you.

What's that, what is it, Pirates of the Caribbean?

You seen it?

Nope.

It's bloody hilarious.

So I'm going to...

Oh.

All men back to the crib room immediately.

All men back to the crib room immediately.

Every man copy me, please.

Yeah, Dick here.

Buddy here.

Yo, copy that, Mark and James here.

Chuck out here.

Two here.

Casiron, mate, everyone's fine here.

Johnny on the 18 here.

I'll call it in.

Get the ambulance organized.

Larry, can you hear me, Larry?

Todd, Larry, Brant, please respond.

Matthew Gill.

G'day, Matthew, it's Rex here.

There's been a rock fall at the mine.

I don't know, mate.

Go down and get started.

What do you know?

Not much.

I'm still heading down there myself.

Is anyone injured?

We're not sure at this point,

but not everyone's accounted for.

Carolyn speaking.

It's Brenda.

There's been a seismic at the mine.

We need Todd to come in as part of the rescue team.

No, he, Todd's, he's at the mine.

He's on a shift tonight.

Brenda.

I'm so sorry.

- I have to go, Carolyn. - What?

Rex needs me to get the team together,

but I'll call you back.

Yeah, okay.

Been a rock fall at the mine.

Was Dad in it?

I don't know.

Pat, it's Matthew.

What's happening there?

There's three men missing.

I'm not sure how everyone else is.

It's not a drill?

It's not a drill.

A room at the council chambers is being set up

for the families.

I'm working on a meeting release,

which ideally we should get out in the next couple of hours.

When can you get that to me?

Within an hour.

Man the phones, prepare for an onslaught.

He parked.

Who?

Todd, Larry, and Webby, they're working in the west side.

All right, I'm going in.

I'll be quick.

Pat.

Todd, Webby, hello.

Boys, call out to me.

Make a sound if you can hear me.

Larry.

Todd, Webby, hello.

There's a telehandler under there.

Must be.

You know what, they're fucked.

Three guys were halfway along 925 west,

working in the telehandler about here.

Now that's just a guess,

because there's no sign of them or the telehandler.

It's just a bloody great pile of rock,

more than a thousand ton.

Now Cheesy was down there three minutes before the fall,

and said that Larry was in the driver's seat,

and Todd and Brant were in the basket.

So Todd and Brant were completely exposed.

Exactly.

Our only hope is for Larry.

The cab of the telehandler is falling object protected.

Sure, it's not designed to withstand 1,000 ton,

but there's a chance Larry might still be alive

and trapped in the cab.

All right, I hope we're not buried very far.

How's your leg?

Can't feel it.

It's like it's not there.

It's the buggery.

Are there any side spaces down there,

any cutties they could've taken refuge in

if they'd had some warning?

No, there's no side space down there.

The best chance of survival is the telehandler driver.

That's who we should try to get to.

Except you can't send any men in.

There's a hell of a lot rock to get through,

and it's popping.

It's cracking at the moment.

It's horrible down there.

You'll be risking more lives.

What about using a police tracking vehicle, the Cyclops?

They don't like it wet much,

and there's a lot of water down there.

Could we dig them out remotely?

Maybe, but we don't know exactly where they are,

so we don't know where to dig.

And any digging is perilous.

It's likely to dislodge more rocks

and start another rock fall.

So you'd have to use a Tele-remote Bogger.

Who has one?

Some of the west coast mines have them.

Find one tonight.

Jesus.

What have we did?

Hey, John McGinny.

It keeps going through my head over and over and over.

I hope they went fast.

It might've ever.

We don't know.

You done that airflow when you already did.

Help!

Help!

Larry!

Larry!

William!

Can anyone hear me?

Is anyone there?

Hello!

Brant.

Don't do anymore.

How is it?

It's not going to be too bad.

It's just, just a few scratches.

You thirsty, mate?

Yeah.

All right.

Oh hell, it was rank.

I reckon fuel.

Hang on, mate, okay.

Help!

Help!

What's wrong?

There's been a rock fall at the mine.

Is Brant all right?

At this stage, he's missing.

Most people wouldn't have felt the minor

earth tremor that brushed the town

of Beaconsfield in Tasmania last night,

but the tremor was just enough to cause

an underground rock fall at the town's gold mine,

nearly one kilometer underground.

Three miners were immediately cut off from the surface.

Melissa LeWine is a reporter from ABC's Launceston office,

and she's at Beaconsfield and joins us now.

Melissa, has there been any contact with the men

since the rock fall occurred?

I was unaware, that no, at this stage,

there hasn't been, you know.

The family and residents and the mines have raised

concerns about the well-being

of these workers because of that.

So you know that Dad's been in an accident in the mine?

Can he dig his way out?

He's probably trying to right now.

Could Dad die?

Dad won't die.

Dad's tough.

That's right, Daddy's tough.

So we have to be very strong while Rex

and his team, you know, try to find him.

Yeah?

Will he be home for tea?

Well, he might be.

It might just take a little bit longer than that.

An extensive search and rescue operation is

now underway.

The side of the rock fall is still extremely dangerous

and is preventing rescuers from reaching the spot

where the miners are.

It is unknown at this time

whether the three men have survived the rock fall.

As you would appreciate, we are all extremely concerned

about what has happened.

We're doing whatever we can to get to the three men

without putting the rescuers at risk.

As it has now been more than 15 hours since the collapse,

we hold grave fears for our colleagues.

A remote control earth mover equipped

with a camera is being prepared to descend

into the area to evaluate the situation further.

They know where we are.

Larry would've told them.

We'll use the lamp when we have to.

We might really need a light later on.

I'm going to try and dig us out.

Hi, it's Lauren.

Yes.

When?

I'll try and get down today.

A major rescue operation is underway in Tasmania tonight,

where a wall collapsed in.

An underground gold mine has trapped three workers.

All today and overnight, search and rescue crews have probed

every accessible area of underground maze.

Battling dust and hundreds of tons of loose

and broken rock, it's a race against time.

The families wait anxiously for news

from behind closed doors as their rescue attempt continues

nearly a kilometer under the earth's surface.

I'll stay awake.

What time is it?

I'm not sure.

I can, ten minutes.

Can you do that?

Yep.

It's past ten minutes.

Yeah?

Was that ten minutes?

Yeah, it was ten.

You sure?

I'm not sure.

I'm freezing.

I can't move.

What?

That will warm you up now.

C'mon mate, better?

There is a very somber mood around the community today,

and it's going to take a lot of resilience

on behalf of all the members of the community

to overcome this disaster.

And as you say, 30 hours has gone by,

so things are looking pretty grim.

Champion Country Footballer Todd Russell,

a father of three young children has lived

in the area his whole life.

The other two missing men, Brant Webb

and Larry Knight also live locally.

Mr. Knight's daughter arrived from Brisbane

this afternoon to keep vigil.

- Hi. - Hi.

We're through the bump.

They can't be far to the open side.

If I can get to there.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

We need to find ball cutters or an ax or anything, okay?

Ball cutters in your tool bag.

What are you talking about?

Just have a look around you.

For what?

For something to cut with.

The fuck I can't see.

We got the on top.

Just help me.

Come on.

Help me.

Come on.

Dig it.

What the fuck is that?

What?

You been smoking?

Nah.

Bullshit, really?

Big deal.

What if I have?

I've been doing all the fucking work.

Cut it out.

I'm filling up with your filthy fucking smoke.

Cut it out.

You know, I don't know if you noticed,

but right now, I'm trapped

a kilometer underground.

So I think I might wait until my life is

just a little less stressful.

Up to you.

Move over, you big bastard.

I gotta do a piss.

What?

Move your fucking johns.

Jesus.

Bloody hell.

Whoops.

The national interest surrounding

this story continues to grow,

and in news just heard, the bogger,

which is being used to dig out the buried

miners has starter motor problems,

which will cause even further delays

in what's become a drawn-out process.

Hi, do you know if there are

starter motor problems with the bogger?

Yes, there are.

It came through on the radio.

And it's just been reported on the TV.

The media are monitoring our radios,

the fucking bastards, the last thing we need.

Ladies, keep your radio use to a minimum.

Nothing sensitive to be said,

or it'll end up on the fucking television.

The bogger's ready to go.

Right, right, let's go, let's move.

You want to check that load?

Yeah, go for it.

What's he looking for?

Bodies.

Do you like fishing?

No.

What about football?

Yes.

Used to play for the team Marquettes.

Is that how you fell?

Yes.

I felt my leg.

You got any kids?

Yeah.

Me too.

I got, you know, twins.

You must've started young.

Yeah.

We met at school, childhood sweethearts.

Yeah, me and Carolyn met in school in Exeter.

How many kids you got?

Three.

Trent, Madison and Liam, he's four.

Is he a handful?

He's a bright little boy.

He loves the footy like his dad.

Hi, Cheesy.

Carolyn.

I have to tell you something.

Mom, can you put them in the back for me?

Sure.

You have to know what it was like down there.

No.

If you saw what I saw.

There's no hope for survival.

No hope.

Just stop talking.

Why would you say that to me?

I don't want to listen to this, so just go.

Carolyn.

I don't need you here, so go.

Just get out, get out.

Hey, what about a bit of muesli bar?

Hm?

Here.

I'm not having half.

Save the rest.

Kind of rough, mate.

Don't stuff yourself.

That's them right there.

We're here!

We're still alive.

We're still alive.

We're here!

We're here!

They're trying to move the telehandler.

If they do, we're dead.

Everything will come down on us.

We're here.

We're here.

Come and get us.

We're here.

We're here.

We're here.

Stop, stop!

The tunnel's gone.

It's collapsed.

They can't hear us.

They'll find us.

They're on their way.

You can push that stockpile up.

You'll fit a bit more in there.

Just fucking do it, Honky.

We better move.

Press conference is in five minutes.

Just getting my notes straight.

What?

They've found a body.

I'll call you back.

Who is it?

We're not sure.

Probably the driver, Larry Knight.

Leave the body where it is.

We'll get retrieval procedures in place.

I'll contact the families.

Just tell them we found a body.

We have to wait for formal confirmation

before we can release any names.

I'll talk to the press.

I'll say we're at a delicate point in the rescue,

and you'll come out in a couple of hours.

Yeah, Bill, he's not available right now.

I'll have to get him to call you back.

It's Bill Shorten.

Get me the number of the coroner's office, please.

I can't hear anyone.

I've been on a rescue team before.

I know how it works, mate.

Hey.

They're gonna get us out.

Any hopes of finding two miners alive

deep underground in Tasmania are fading by the hour.

The body of one of the three who were trapped

early yesterday was found this morning.

The somber faces of those who exited

the mine shaft this morning said it all.

They'd located one of their fallen colleagues

in the most extraordinarily difficult circumstances,

their boss confirming the worst.

At 7:22 this morning, one body was found

at the Beaconsfield mine site.

We've informed the families,

but we are unable to confirm the identity.

The Tasmanian coroner has now taken control

of the investigation and was at the site this afternoon.

Identity will be released as soon as

identity is confirmed.

We need to use disaster victim identification

procedures for that.

The search for two others continues,

but hopes are fading.

Today it was revealed that there are no safety chambers

in the shaft at 925 meters,

where the man's body was found.

They're not sure who that man is,

and they don't know if it's their father,

or if it's their brother or if it's their husband.

Oh, excuse me.

Excuse me, sorry.

Excuse me, Rachel.

I'm sorry, but you can't take that stuff.

Why not?

We're going to need it for the coroner.

Well, they've identified the body,

and it's not Brant.

I know, but later on, they'll need it.

Well, they're not gonna need it later on,

because there is no later on.

Because my husband is alive.

We thought Larry was here

in the cab of the telehandler

at the time of the rock fall.

However, his body was found here,

behind the telehandler.

So Larry must've got out of the telehandler

after he saw Cheesy, but why would he do that?

Well, maybe he had some warning of the rock fall

and was trying to run to somewhere safer?

So Todd and Brant would've had the same warning

and could've run out the other way, this way.

Yeah, but if they run out that way,

then they would've crawled over the top

of the telehandler by now.

What if there wasn't any warning?

Or what if, for some reason,

they couldn't get out of the basket?

Then they're still there.

So how do we get to them?

There's a possible entry by the 915.

Nah, I've been down there,

and there's no way through.

Could we get to them from here, from the decline?

The only way you get through there is by blasting.

I can't see another choice.

We'll have to blast our way in.

I think it's the only way.

Do you accept the blasting of the basket will terminate

the reason for our rescue?

It won't be a rescue anymore.

It'll be body retrieval.

We'll get halfway and then we'll probe for life.

Show me another way through, Rex,

and I'll happily do it.

At this stage, it's our only option.

You're not treating this like a rescue.

Yes, we are.

No, you're not.

How far away do you usually stand when blasting goes on?

How far?

Probably a couple hundred meters.

Then why are you blasting ten meters

from where Brant might be?

We're trying to get to them

the best way we can.

Brant's not dead.

I know he's not.

He's alive, and you're supposed to keep him that way.

I've forgotten how bad it is.

I haven't.

Can you hear that?

No.

Yes, you can.

It's machinery.

It's the rescue.

I keep getting specimens in my legs.

So do I.

Keep them moving.

Work on the new tunnel is progressing.

We have to drive a tunnel 36 meters long

and about 4.5 meters high and wide.

Just because you can't see much going on

up here doesn't mean that nothing is happening.

The first lot of blast holes have

already been drilled in preparation.

Safety is paramount.

The biggest issue is seismicity,

and we're therefore planning for worst-case stress scenario,

but we cannot rush this.

We cannot risk more lives.

Thank you.

What time is it?

Almost 2:00.

Are you having pain?

Don't hurt.

What's the biggest piece of gold

you've ever seen down this mine?

Nothing to speak of.

Well, I once found a block,

about the size of a golf ball.

Where have you got that buried?

Nah, I was a good boy.

Chucked it in the grizzly.

It's that fucking rescue, mate.

Call out to rescue.

You can't think like that.

You know what just happened?

They're fucking blowing us up.

Settle down, or I swear to God,

I'm gonna give you a big fat lip kiss on the mouth.

I mean it.

I'll lay one right on you.

I want to go back down there.

Cheesy, you're not going down.

You need a shift boss, put me on.

I'm not doing it, mate.

Come on, I reckon I know a way in.

You been through enough.

You're not going down,

and I'll ban you from the site if I have to.

I want to get those boys out, Pat.

I want their families to be able to bury them.

I know you do.

If you get out, and I die,

can you go see my family?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'll look out for them, mate.

They won't be alone.

Thanks.

I'll do the same for you.

Yeah.

Are lights on up there?

They're supposed to be rescuing us.

They must have a plan.

Never heard of anyone blowing up survivors.

It's not much of a plan.

They're looking for dead bodies.

I hope you don't die.

I don't want to be stuck in here with a dead body.

When I was a professional fisherman,

people used to shit themselves on the boat.

I've pulled up on a couple.

You pull up on a boat,

and you look at the deck,

and you see this big, brown stain.

You get closer, and you see the body.

You see a gun.

Those bodies, they swell up.

They stink.

I wouldn't want to be stuck in here with one.

Here.

10:30.

Still alive.

These have just come in.

There is a refuge gully down there.

Since when?

Well, obviously it went in between this and the last one.

Where is it?

Here.

Right next to the telehandler.

So they might've run there.

Well, they might've.

Let's go down.

Well, you know you're not to go to the 925.

It's still very dangerous and unpredictable down there.

No worries, mate.

I wouldn't go there.

It's blasting off the other wall.

Over there's, the LV.

It's gone backed it out of the way

by piercing the fuel tank.

That's why you can smell diesel.

That your finger?

No.

Good.

I don't know any of their songs.

Okay, I'm not giving up yet.

How about the Foo Fighters?

The Food Fighters?

You can't be serious.

You've never heard of the Foo Fighters?

No.

Do you ever turn your radio on?

When we're at Lake Flannigan.

Oh, hell.

Do you know "Spirit of the High Country"?

No, I don't know.

"The Gambler"?

No.

- Do you know... - Yeah, yeah, "The Gambler."

♪ It's all because ♪

♪ You've got to know when to hold 'em ♪

♪ Know when to fold 'em ♪

♪ Know when to walk away ♪

♪ Know when to run ♪

♪ You never count your money ♪

♪ When you're sittin' at the table ♪

♪ There'll be time enough for countin' ♪

♪ When the dealin's done ♪

Hello?

Hello?

♪ There'll be time enough for countin' ♪

♪ When the dealin's done ♪

- Shut up. - You've got.

Shut up.

Hello!

Hello!

Hello!

We're here!

Hello!

Hello!

Hello!

Hello, are there two of you?

- Yes. - Yes.

It's me, Pat.

It's me with Salty.

G'day, Salty.

How are ya, boys?

Salty!

Are you hurt?

We're okay.

Do you have air?

Yes.

Do you have water?

Yes.

Are you in the cutty?

No, we're still in the basket.

What's your most immediate need?

Get us the fuck out.

Hello.

Todd and Brant are alive.

Pat, please repeat that.

Todd and Brant are alive.

You found Todd and Brant, and they are alive.

They're alive.

Thrilled to bits, can't believe it.

Whole of Beaconsfield's been praying for this to happen,

and God's answered us.

♪ Thanks, oh Lord, cause I live ♪

♪ Sunshine down on your sweet head ♪

♪ I always thought I was the one ♪

♪ Cause I live next door to the mid-day sun ♪

Packed yourself in?

I will.

♪ I always thought I was the one ♪

It's unbelievable, isn't it?

I'm so excited, you'd think it was my dad out there.

How can they still be alive?

It's great news.

Hi Lauren.

Hi.

I'm so sorry about your father.

Everyone liked him.

He was a gentleman.

Thank you.

♪ I'm here in the space you made ♪

♪ Lights that begin to fade ♪

♪ Just fall back the pain ♪

He was standing right there you guys,

and that, my friends, is why you shouldn't catch crabs.

Out there, everybody.

To me old mate, I knew he could talk underwater,

but I didn't know he could see under rock.

Cheers to that.

Cheers.

Hey.

It's a miracle.

You all right?

The town's celebrating.

One giant party in Beaconsfield.

It's wonderful news.

What is it?

Those men are alive right now,

but what if we kill them?

All right, these are the options we've come up with.

Obviously, some appear more feasible than others.

Regardless of how likely an option is,

I want us to prepare for each one.

Each of you will be allocated at least one option.

Obviously one through four will be our primary focus,

but I want preparations on five through 20 to be online.

We never know when an option's gonna end up.

Our guarding principle is no longer

access the site safely, it's keep them alive.

All right, that's it, let's go.

I went in.

I had to sneak down,

because Pat doesn't want me in the ground.

How far did you get?

I didn't get to the boys.

It's pretty unstable.

I didn't want to risk causing

any more rocks to fall on them.

There's stuff falling from above as well.

I think it might be possible to reinforce the roof

enough to make it safe for a rescue team to get in.

And if we can get to the cutty near the boys,

we might be able to get to them that way.

They don't want anyone going in, mate.

No, they don't want to know that anyone's going.

Are you Trevor Cheesy?

All too well.

Listen, I think it might be best

if you take a few days off.

I'm not.

No, what I mean, it's time for you to go home.

We'll call you when we need you back at work.

Fair enough.

Is somebody up there?

It's somebody, Chris.

I'm actually right above you.

I can see your light.

I've got to cut this mesh to get you boys out.

Do it.

Do whatever you have to do.

Stop, stop.

Stop, don't do anything.

I won't touch it, mate.

It's a fucking time bomb in here, man.

You all right?

Yeah.

Here's water and some biscuits.

I don't think I can get you out this way right now.

Well, what's the plan, I mean,

what are they doing up there?

They're gonna drill through to where you are,

put in a communication chute

so they can talk to you about what

they're going to do next.

Don't worry.

We'll get you out.

I'm going to go tell them upstairs what I've seen, okay?

Mate, you tell them, we got to come out now.

It's bad in here, man.

My leg's fucked.

And there's stuff raining down on us all the time.

We're going to be buried alive.

What?

We're gonna get you out.

You gotta try something else.

Can you dig through the side?

You can get us out that way.

Okay?

I need a different tool.

Well just have a go.

Just dig with your hands.

You tell us where you're digging from,

and we'll dig from this end.

Okay, sure,

but I want to go and talk to everyone else first.

Don't leave us.

I reckon you can get us out.

Do you hear me?

I can't do that there, mate.

I need other people to get you out.

I promise you, we will get you home.

Are you going to come back?

I need some help to get you out.

Oh no, wait, come back.

Just come back.

Tell us what's going on.

Make sure you come back

so we know what's going on.

Okay.

Wait, wait.

Chris.

Chris.

They'll come back.

All right?

They won't leave us, now that they know we're here.

What you did was foolhardy and it was selfish.

I did it because...

Did you give them any food?

Yes, some teddy bear biscuits.

You should've had more sense.

Those boys haven't eaten for six days.

Their bodies will be completely out of whack,

and the wrong food will cause some real damage.

All right, I didn't realize.

No, of course, you didn't realize,

because you're thinking why the hell

don't they go down there and get them?

Don't you think that's what I would love to do?

Just go down there, be a bloody hero,

and get them out?

But I'm not going to,

because I'm not going to lose another man on this job.

I am not going to go and tell someone's wife

or mother that they're dead.

Now tell me this.

Can we get them out that way?

A Pelican peaker, couple of hours,

two experienced miners.

They can do it.

All right.

I think perhaps a teddy bear biscuit entree.

Followed by a miracle, another teddy bear biscuit.

Think about three should do the trick.

But what should I have for dessert?

Hm.

Aye.

One of these.

May I offer you one of mine?

Thank you.

Hello, Richard.

How was Beaconsfield?

You're about to find out.

Oh no, no, no, no.

Beaconsfield does not need more journalists.

Mate, it's a huge story.

You need to be there.

You know won't be happy,

unless I manage to get down the mine,

into the basket with the two boys.

Anything less than that, he'll be vying for blood.

So when are we leaving?

In an hour.

Well, I'll see you at the airport.

What's wrong?

It's my guts.

They killing me.

You had a lot of those biscuits.

Did you turn your lamp on?

No.

What are you saying?

I can't understand.

You all right?

Larry?

This media stuff is a waste of my time.

60 Minutes have just asked for an interview.

Tell them no.

I told them that.

Bill Shorten's outside.

I haven't got time to speak to him.

Why don't you get Bill to do the press releases?

It'll free you up and keep him off your back.

He's good at it, and you know Bill,

he'll never run from a camera.

They are wedged under massive tons of rocks.

They are blocked off from rescuers again

by massive tons of hard rock.

This is gonna take a lot of effort to get them out.

It will not be a 48-hour operation.

I want someone to go in

the way Chris did and assess the space.

See if we can make it safe enough

to send in a team of rescuers.

Okay.

You don't have to.

Okay, I want to.

Hey, it's me.

It's pretty desperate.

Okay.

No.

I'm fine, I'm.

It's all fine.

I just wanted to hear your voice.

I love you, Trace.

I gotta go.

Can you kiss Lucky and Calen for me?

Right.

Tell me about Liam.

He's a good boy.

Likes to do what I do.

Races around pretending he's a miner digging holes,

making a mess.

Not bad with a footy.

He's a good kid.

I almost played professional football,

but I didn't make it.

But Liam has what it takes to go all the way.

He sticks with stuff.

He keeps at it until he gets it right.

I hope I get to grab hold of that little bugger again,

I won't let him go.

I won't let any of them go.

It's Chris, we're back.

We've got some supplies to pass down there.

No more teddy bear biscuits, thanks, mate.

No worries.

Pass us the bag, mate.

There's another one.

Who's with you?

Might be best not to say,

not telling many people about this trip.

G'day, Pat.

G'day, Todd.

Hey guys, what's the story?

How come you're sending so much stuff down?

How long you planning to leave us down here for?

Mate, we're just being extra cautious.

That's all.

We're gonna get you out.

How's Larry?

Hey, guys, I want you to fight

for yourself and be strong.

We'll get you out of here.

We got a lot of people working on it.

So is Larry okay?

Not sure.

Well, is he injured?

No, Larry didn't make it.

Found the body a few days ago.

Thanks, Pat.

Hey, Pat.

We make the front page of the paper?

Mate, I think you made the front page

of the New York Times.

You reckon you get me a copy

of Saturday's Examiner?

What for?

I want to look at the job section.

You can stick this one up your ass.

You doing okay?

It's all good.

Hello.

What's the issue?

General suspicion.

I'm waiting on one more go from the AWU

to return my call.

Beaconsfield mine is a major employer in this town.

Perhaps we're not being discreet enough

in our approaches.

They don't want to lose their jobs.

If the mining's doing something dodgy,

someone will talk about it.

We just have to work out how to get them to talk.

No one is going to want to speak to camera.

They don't have to.

I can do that for them.

All I need is for someone to tell us the truth

of what's going on in that mine.

Completely off the record.

No filming, no taping.

Even if I can get someone to speak to us,

we can't blame the mine management for an earthquake.

That's just bad luck.

Now Howard, can I borrow your handkerchief?

Did you know, this is a magic handkerchief?

No, I didn't know that, Richard.

Well, it is, but I am going to need your assistance.

Can you blow on this, please?

Magic.

I thought Larry was here to help us.

Right.

I thought he was orchestrating the whole thing.

Now we find out he was dead from the get-go.

His boy is just a few months old.

I wonder if he died straightaway,

or if he was trapped like us.

What difference does it make?

You can't save the boys that way.

It's too dangerous.

Chris seemed pretty confident we could get in that way.

No, there's no way of removing the mesh.

I don't even know why Chris thought it was possible,

because it's not.

Cut that mesh, we'll kill them.

You all right?

Yeah.

We'll find another way in.

I want God to give them strength,

to guide them, to lead them.

And I know he will.

So just pull them out.

It's not as easy as that.

Well, it must be.

If Chris can talk to them,

and pass things to them,

why can't you just pull them out?

Chris crawled through here,

into the rock fall, right inside it,

and he reached down through mesh,

that bit of mesh when across the top of the rock fall,

up the side, and over Chris.

If you cut the mesh, it will collapse,

causing rock to come crashing down on the boys.

But Chris was so close to them.

I know, and I know it's frustrating,

but pulling them out the way Chris went in is

more than just a risk.

It will kill them.

It's all right.

It's getting closer.

Where the fuck is this drill going to come in?

Is it above us?

Jesus.

Jesus, nearly speared us.

You nearly drilled right through us,

you fucking dunce.

Did I toe it?

Bloody hell.

Personally, I don't see us being able

to dig under the telehandler.

What if we get a road hitter?

We get through the last 15 meters with that.

We'll need to check its rate of vibration.

My memory is that they create a hell of a lot of rattle.

That's the last thing we need.

What about Raise borer?

They're the Ferrari boring equipment.

No, they're just zoned to be used vertically.

We'd have to use it horizontally.

It's not supposed to be used like that,

like driving your Ferrari upside down.

But do you think it can work?

We can find out.

Put one there.

All right, all right, just build the tunnel.

All right.

It's broken.

Put your hand in.

Yes, I am.

Ow.

It's a bit broke, but yeah,

I think you can get stuff through.

We'll see what we can get through.

Might take a while.

Thanks for that.

You don't sweat if I...

Mate, you saw what I was doing.

I was moving rocks.

It's not my fault it's broken.

It is your fault.

It's 100% fault.

We're gonna move some rocks,

so they get a clear run out.

It's broken.

God, I'm stuck in the laziest prison in Australia.

Some one like you won't even help clear a space

for a tube that's gonna keep us alive.

Don't turn that on me.

I blame it on you because it's your fault.

- No, it's not. - Oh really?

Will you shut up for a minute?

Can I have a minute's break

from your whingeing fucking voice.

Oh, you're a prick, Todd.

I'm sorry.

♪ People don't like those new songs ♪

♪ They ain't colored like gold ♪

♪ I like a hippie down main ♪

♪ When my baby starts to step in ♪

♪ Well I don't know what to do ♪

♪ I get a longing to hear Hank sing the blues ♪

♪ Well I get a longing to hear Hank sing the blues ♪

♪ Every time I think I'm losing you ♪

♪ When my baby said goodbye ♪

♪ Well I hung my head and cried ♪

♪ And I get a longing to hear Hank sing the blues ♪

He's giving himself a tattoo.

You're giving yourself a tattoo.

I'll do it for you.

Give me the needle.

Not in a million fucking years.

Stop staring at me.

You put me off.

You're shitting me.

It's hard,

because Todd lives locally, obviously.

He's got a dog that is incredibly loyal to him,

and Todd's dog is actually every day at dawn...

I'll just grab you these things.

- Mom? - Yeah?

Dogs are at the mine again.

Those idiot reporters keep feeding them.

Turn the telly off, please.

Thanks.

Come here, I want to show you something.

Where we going now?

I tried to dig Dad out, but it didn't work.

Can you go down to the mines

and bring my daddy back to me?

Do my best.

You dickhead.

Next time I won't even be slowing down.

Pass me the phone, will you?

Hey, can I please have some water?

We got none left.

All right.

What the fuck is this?

Why they send us up half a bottle of water?

Why are sending us up half a bottle of water?

You're doing nothing else down there,

and what, you're too lazy to fill up a bottle of water?

I don't care what the fucking dietitian.

Listen here, fuckwit, if I get outta here,

I'm going to smash your fucking head in.

Now send me up a bottle of water.

What am I supposed to do with this?

What, what am I supposed to drink me own piss, you idiot?

Now just send me up a fucking bottle of water.

You're not supposed to let me get upset.

Well, I'm upset,

and I ain't drinking any more of that

fucking oxygen.

You send any more of that, and I swear,

you better send up a gun,

because I'll blow out my fucking brains.

No water.

Six, five, four, three, two, one.

Thank you, Todd.

Oh, you're welcome, Brant.

So tell me about the earthquake that happened

on ANZAC day.

Well, we've had a few of them.

This wasn't the first.

You get a few of them around here.

It's not around here.

It's in the mine.

What do you mean?

The mining causes the earthquake.

It's not some natural event.

There's always forces operating in rock.

If you take away the rock,

the forces are still there.

So what they're calling an earthquake isn't

a natural phenomenon.

It's caused by over-mining.

If they'd mine what they're supposed to

and stop trying to cut corners to get

as much gold as they could out of this mine,

they wouldn't have caused the seismic event.

And those three boys wouldn't have been buried.

Thank you very much, gentlemen.

Yeah, there've been a bit of a delay.

Yeah, well, the Raise borer's down, ready to bore,

but we've realized that we need something to sit it on.

So what does that mean?

It means we're going to have pull it out

and pour a slab.

Jesus bloody Christ.

Are you kidding?

And get us some cigarettes.

Chris, what's going on?

You said 48 hours.

Well, your families are sending some clothes.

I'll send them up now.

I'm joined now by Brant Webb's daddy, John.

John, a very good morning to you.

Thank you for being with us.

He's doing all right down there, yeah?

He's high-spirited, and they're saying

that he's physically well.

Obviously, he's tougher than his dad.

Waking up in the morning's the worst.

That's the worst.

It's constantly on your mind.

When you wake up, there it is.

Work on the main

rescue tunnel hasn't started yet.

Specialized boring equipment, which pulverizes

rock into pebbles and dust has to be anchored

first in concrete before it can cut

what is essentially a manhole.

It's slow-going, but much safer

than blasting and drilling.

The trapped men now know that the drilling

of this rescue tunnel will be a slow process.

They've also been told of the risk involved

as this rock crunching drill inches towards them.

Get me out of here, Rachel.

Hello, Beaconsfield mine.

Yeah, look, I'm just ringing to tell you

that we're all really concerned about the guys

down in the mine, and you know,

we're thinking of them.

We hope everything works out.

Thank you.

And can you let them know that?

Yes, I'll pass it on.

You know, we're praying for them.

Yes, we all are.

Thank you.

Hello, Beaconsfield mine.

I was wondering if I could speak

to somebody about donation?

Yeah, you can speak to me.

Yeah, I'm Dennis Raymond,

and I actually sell Winnebagos,

and I hear you're having trouble with accommodation

and all the extra people coming into town.

Yes, we are, because the press have taken

every spare hotel room within 200 kilometers.

Really?

Look, I'd like to bring around a couple

of Winnebagos just for people to sleep in,

you know, at no cost.

That's very generous, thank you.

No problem.

Hello, Beaconsfield mine.

Hi, can I speak to someone in charge of the rescue?

You can speak to me.

Are you familiar with those ejector seats?

You know the ones that the fighter pilots use?

You know when they're like bombing things

and they go over the.

Where were you last ANZAC day?

When was ANZAC day, Howard?

Tuesday, last Tuesday.

Geeze, I must've pulled a muscle or something.

My calf is really sore.

Have you seen my phone?

Howard, I don't know why you bother having a phone.

I haven't lost it.

It's here somewhere.

Think of this.

Where were you last ANZAC day, last Tuesday, a week?

Because it's since then the two have been down there.

Let me ask you another question.

What caused this disaster?

Well, we all know the answer.

An earthquake, wasn't it?

No, it wasn't.

No, my good man, it wasn't.

No, no, no.

I can't hold it in, mate.

No, you are going to hold it in.

Can you send me a plastic bag?

All right.

Have to make sure the bag's on.

No.

Urinate.

Bloody hell, how big a crap are you planning to do?

You're going to have to help me.

I'm not having anything to do with it,

for fuck's sake, hold it in.

What do you think I'm doing?

Can you send us up some packing tape?

I gotta tape this bag to me bum.

Oh, god.

You are filthy.

This is disgusting.

Have you finished it?

That is a relief.

You're not leaving that bloody bag in here.

I'm not sending it down the tube.

Food comes out of there.

What if it breaks?

Get that bag out of here.

It's making me sick.

All right.

What is this?

That, my friend, is shit.

It's more reporters.

They want to interview the dog.

What?

They want to interview Holly.

They're not serious.

I think they are, mum.

Yeah, sure, they can talk to the dog

as long as they want.

Drilling of the escape

tunnel is now finished.

Framing is short from that tiny cave.

There's still plenty of work to do.

Their mates will have to break through,

to file past the hard rock.

Nice fly.

My little lie.

Something beginning with.

Rock?

- Too short. - Yes.

Mate, I'm not really making a dent here.

Think we're going to have to get an in here.

Man needs an LE drill to get through.

I was fixing to eat your sandwich.

They melted the cheese.

I hate melted cheese.

I mean, what idiot would do that?

Can't eat it now.

Yeah, okay, go ahead.

Stop the boring, stop the boring!

Stop, stop.

We're not going to be able to drill our way through.

It's hardest rock I've ever seen.

The explosive guys from Stihl reckon they can get

through the rock and create about as

half as much vibration as a drill.

No way, no way.

You're not blasting when we're a meter away.

Are they serious?

They've already tried to blow us up.

Once enough, we need a second shot.

They're very low impact.

We've been testing them for the past few days,

and I think it's going to cause a lot less travel.

It might cause you a lot less travel.

What about us?

We're not keen.

I don't know what to say.

I can't see any other way forward.

Tell them we'll do one.

One round.

Did you hear that?

We'll do one round.

And then we reassess.

Unless of course they're blowing our brains out.

I'll one round.

We'll keep you informed every step of the way, okay?

Ready to go?

I never worked with these explosives before.

Never been used in this mine.

And they've never been fired this close to two men.

Here I am on this phone convincing those two blokes

that it's our best option.

I want to be kept across each firing,

and I want the vibration result from each one.

It doesn't matter how this explosive guy assures

you things are, I just want it checked.

If anything's gonna cause another rock fall,

it'll be this.

The question is, are you sure

you can get through to the space.

We are as confident as we can be,

given that we are doing something that is quite unique.

We have other drill options and rock-breaking options.

Mr. Gill, on the 26th of October last year,

not 10 meters from where these men are now entombed,

you had a 400-ton rock fall.

Why is it?

Is it the strength of the scene,

or the wealth of the scene,

that you continue to send men into work

in such a dangerous environment?

My focus is on recovering these two chaps.

That has been my only focus.

In terms of what happened and why,

that will come later.

Howard, found your phone.

Oh, where did you find, Richard, Richard.

You the explosives guy?

Yeah, yeah, go ahead.

You're not going to kill us, are you?

Mate, these explosives, they'll make a big bang,

but they don't really cause much of a shake.

This type of hard rock is,

well, it's exactly what they love.

I want to countdown myself.

I want to know exactly when you're going to fire.

Okay, mate, okay, you do it.

I'll come back when we're ready.

I'm going to countdown now.

We're ready for you.

Three,

two,

one.

Fire.

Are you there, Todd?

You fucking pussies.

My shotgun makes more noise than that.

Thank you.

One down.

You're hot, would you like a drink of water?

Feeling pretty warm actually.

Easy.

- Lie on the floor. - Yeah.

Tiny.

You're all right to go home,

but you've had an unusual ECG,

so if you can see your GP in the next few days.

Okay.

Thanks.

There's news in from Launcestown just now.

Perhaps you've already heard,

that Richard Carleton collapsed earlier

at the mine site.

Doctors now confirm that Richard is dead.

Our dear friend and colleague at Channel 9,

Richard Carleton has passed away.

I'm very sorry to say that's now been verified

by the hospital emergency room.

Three, two, one.

Fire!

Fire!

Fire!

Fire.

Fire!

Fire!

Fire.

You want a?

How many firings have you blokes done?

56.

You all right?

It's me knees, mate.

They're killing me.

You crawl up and down that tunnel.

Can you keep going?

What choice do I got?

I'm not going to leave them in there.

Every time I be firing, my heart's in my mouth.

I don't want to be the one...

Hey, hey, hey, just concentrate on the job.

That's all.

Don't look either way.

Just on the job.

We're ready for you.

Okay.

Bill, is it too soon to say the rescuers are

now within arm's reach?

I'm afraid it's too soon to say that.

They've still got to go up

about a meter and a half of complex rock,

hard rock, soft rock,

but what I do know is that the progress keeps continuing.

And I think that we need to take

a leaf out of the book of the families

of Todd and Brant and just be patient.

I believe everything's being done that can be done.

Is this the most dangerous meter and a half?

And if you've got in your range,

wait until you see what's coming up next.

The distance between here and here is 300 mills.

We drill from here to here,

and that gets us through to the boys.

I don't think that's right.

That rock's not supported.

If you drill through there,

it'll all come crashing down.

Bullshit.

Well, I don't think you're right, Brett.

If you're wrong, we're in trouble.

I agree with Peter.

You're planning to drill through unsupported rock.

No, I'm not, see?

What you're failing to.

I need a fucking pen that works in this place.

Okay, all right.

We're all tired.

We need to know if the survey is right or if it's wrong.

If it's right, we will drill Pat's way.

If it's wrong, it's Peter's.

Yes.

Thank you.

Survey's correct.

We're going with option one.

So who was right?

I don't remember.

You know how long that took?

Four bloody hours.

Four hours to make a decision

that should have been made in five minutes.

Doesn't matter how long it takes, Pat.

It just matters that we make the right decision.

You know I'm the one that sent those boys

down there in the first place.

I used to sometimes go and see Larry and discuss our boys.

My Calen and his little fellow are the same age.

He was a gentleman.

Yeah.

Okay.

They need you down below.

Word had gone out

that the rescue was imminent at 2:30 a.m., the magic time.

By late evening, more than 100 people had braved

the foul weather.

He's strong and determined,

and yes, get them up here.

How are we

that they're coming up, sooner than I anticipated.

There was a party atmosphere

after nearly two weeks of tension.

Celebration was tantalizingly close.

I got a couple of.

It'll be good.

Pretty excited, you all happy?

Are you all staying here until the men come out?

Who is it?

Be right back with wood,

build it further around.

We've got the green light.

You're coming out first, Brant.

Why him?

Oh, didn't you resign about a week ago?

Employees out first, mate.

All right, let's go.

You'll be all right, mate.

They'll be straight back for you.

See you, my friend.

Yeah.

Todd, ready to go?

We can only assume that the men are

on this elevator.

As Bill said, is it an incredibly

historic moment, you know.

It is history in the making.

No one has ever done this before.

And so it's a unique operation,

and this survival story, what a survival story.

Are these guys gonna come out of the cage

and walk into history?

They're going to see their families.

They're going to walk into history.

Their lives are never going to be the same,

but thank God, they're alive.

We're not getting wheeled out.

We're walking out.

It's slowing.

Here they come.

Here they come.

♪ Dim your little light on down ♪

♪ Dim your little light on down ♪

♪ Dim your little light he said ♪

♪ Now is the needed time, oh now is the needed time ♪

♪ Now is the needed time ♪

♪ Lord have mercy on me ♪

♪ Lord have mercy on me ♪

♪ Lord have mercy on me ♪

♪ Now is the needed time ♪

♪ Oh, now is the needed time ♪

♪ Now is the needed time ♪