'Chilean miners are team of the year'

The 33 Chilean miners who survived 69 days trapped underground before emerging to the surface in joyous scenes have been named the team of the year by The Times newspaper in Britain.

The 33 Chilean miners who survived 69 days trapped underground before emerging to the surface in joyous scenes have been named the team of the year by The Times newspaper in Britain.

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"They were ordinary men who were caught in an extraordinary situation and rose magnificently to the challenge. Their fortitude inspired billions of people. That is why The Times has named Los 33 as its Team of the Year," the newspaper said.

Pics: Miracle miners' rescue

The name "Los 33" came in the message scrawled by one of the miners in red pen which was lifted to the surface 17 days after the San Jose mine collapsed.

After rescuers bored a hole into the space where the miners were sheltering, the message was attached to the drillhead.

It read: "Estamos bien en el refugio, los 33" ("We're well in the refuge, the 33").

The newspaper also paid tribute to the miners' families, who refused to give them up for dead, and to the engineers and drill operators who oversaw the rescue.