SAN JOSE MINE, Chile — The miners emerged like clockwork, jubilantly embracing wives, children and rescuers and looking remarkably composed today after languishing for 69 days in the depths of a mine that easily could have been their tomb.

The anxiety that had accompanied the final days of preparation melted away at 12:11 a.m. when the stoutest of the 33 miners, Florencio Avalos, emerged from the missile-like rescue capsule smiling broadly after his half-mile journey to the surface.

In a din of cheers, he hugged his sobbing 7-year-old son and wife and then President Sebastian Pinera, who has been deeply involved in an effort that had become a matter of national pride.

Ten men were pulled from the mine at a methodical pace in roughly the first nine hours of the operation, putting the rescue on track to end before the sun rises Thursday, barring any major glitches.

The miners have survived more time trapped underground than anyone on record, and the world was captivated by their endurance and unity as officials carefully planned their rescue.