Free holiday on island for 33 rescued Chile miners

Kingston: Jamaica is offering the 33 rescued Chilean miners a free vacation on the Caribbean island after their 69-day ordeal underground, the Jamaican government said.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced the offer in Kingston along with Gordon "Butch" Stewart, a prominent local businessman and chairman of Sandals Resorts, which operates a chain of hotels in Jamaica and the Caribbean, according to a Jamaica Information Service statementy.

Calling the rescue a miracle, Bartlett said the offer included the miners' spouses and the rescuers who helped bring the 33 up from the earth's depths this week after more than two months trapped in a northern Chilean mine.