Rescuers battling to reach two Australian miners entombed in a collapsed gold mine said they were directly beneath the men late on Monday, with as little as 30cm of hard rock left to cut. Brant Webb (37) and Todd Russell (34) spread grout over loose rocks beneath their cage to prevent fresh rock falls when miners tunneling toward them from below finally break through.

They’ve been trapped in a tiny cage nearly a kilometre underground for 10 days, but two Australian gold miners still haven’t lost their sense of humour. ”They call where they are a two-star hotel — they’re the two stars,” said Matthew Gill, manager of the century-old Beaconsfield Gold Mine.