Interior minister says the operation is not `` linked to any political decision '' President Pinera said this week he believed the rescue would be before October 15 . He said the drill diameter would be reduced from 28 inches to 26 inches until the hammer had cleared the hard rock but added that the slightly smaller diameter would not cause problems for the rescue . The government has been under pressure from human rights groups and some members of Congress who say it was too slow in responding to a massive earthquake that killed more than 500 people on Jan. 12.
Interior minister says the operation is not `` linked to any political decision '' President Pinera said this week he believed the rescue would be before October 15 . The government has been under pressure from human rights groups and some members of Congress who say it was too slow in responding to a massive earthquake that killed more than 500 people on Jan. 12.