Chile had more to celebrate this weekend than just the bicentennial of its independence from Spain.

A man dressed as a clown walks past a honor guard during a ceremony for the 33 miners trapped underground inside a copper and gold mine at the camp where relatives of the miners are staying near Copiapo September 18, 2010. [Agencies]

That came with reports Friday that the first of three rescue drills reached 33 miners trapped 700 meters underground since Aug. 5 when 700,000 tons of rock collapsed in the central section of the San Jose gold and copper mine.

President Sebastian Pinera applauded the courage of the trapped miners, saying he would visit the mine with Mining Minister Laurence Golborne on Saturday to celebrate the national holiday with the miners and their families.

The 30-centimeter-wide drill T-130 of rescue "Plan B" finally broke through to 630 meters underground, puncturing the top of a passage near the chamber in the mine where the miners took refuge.

The drill needs to go an additional 30 meters before it can be lifted up. Rescuers then will use a wider drill to drill a hole 71 centimeters across, wide enough to pull the miners to the surface.

"We have reached 630 meters, and completed the first stage. We are able to start the final phase of widening to 28 inches (71 centimeters)," said Andre Sougarret, the engineer in charge of the rescue effort.

The widening phase of the spare-no-expense rescue would take "a month (to) a month and a half" to complete, Sougarret said. "From now on we will start drilling in that. We will need to remove material at the bottom of the well, and we are seeing how they are going to help."

The 32 Chileans and a Bolivian were found alive after 17 days of isolation in the mine near Copiapo, about 800 km north of Santiago, when rescuers reached them through 10 centimeter-diameter ducts drilled after the collapse.

The miners kept their wits during the ordeal, washing tiny bits of canned tuna and peaches down with sips of milk every other day to stretch a 48-hour emergency food supply.

The workers have since been receiving water, food, oxygen and messages through the ducts.

Golborne confirmed the breakthrough, saying in Santiago that the latest developments put government efforts ahead of the timeline for an early November rescue.