Born again, again!

AFTER they survived underground for 69 days, they emerged to say they felt reborn.
But now 25 of the 33 Chilean miners, who made headlines around the world after their amazing rescue from a collapsed mine last October, have come closer to rebirth after being baptised in Israel.
The men, dressed in white robes, underwent the religious ceremony at the Yardenit site in the country’s River Jordan near the sea of Galilee – where, according to Christian belief, Jesus was also baptised.
It was just one of the highlights of their week-long trip to Israel, which they describe as a ‘pilgrimage of Thanksgiving’.
During their visit, the miners – many of whom are accompanied by their wives and children – have had the chance to visit key Catholic sites in the Holy Land, including the Via Dolorosa and Bethlehem’s Church Of The Nativity in the occupied West Bank.
But the group also found some time to relax at the Dead Sea, where they floated in the water and took advantage of the mineral-rich mud around the area, which is the lowest place on Earth.
They have also had a chance to visit Jerusalem’s Western Wall and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum during the trip, which is being sponsored by the Israeli Tourism Ministry.
The miners have become celebrities after their gruelling ordeal trapped underground and subsequent rescue.
A large contingent have been guests of honour at both Manchester United and Real Madrid matches. One appeared at the National Television Awards, while others visited Disneyworld and Hollywood. There is also talk of a film.
However there is a darker side to their new-found status, with many of the miners suffering post-traumatic stress disorder after they emerged from the mine.
Doctors say all but one of the 33 miners have experienced severe psychological issues since the ordeal.
Some have described debilitating anxiety since surfacing four months ago. One requires a daily dose of six tablets in order to be able to hold a conversation, and so this day lives in fear of small spaces and even the slightest sound.
Others struggled to rebuild the relationships they once had with friends and family members. One man is reported to be constructing a wall around his home.
The men revealed the full extent of their ordeal – which occurred after the diamond and copper mine they were working in collapsed – in a recent interview with the U.S show 60 Minutes.
Several admitted that both suicide and even cannibalism were considered as the miners struggled to contend with the idea that they may never be freed.
One of the men, 31-year-old Victor Zamora – who is among the miners on the trip – said on the show: ‘I said to a friend, “Well, if we are going to continue suffering, it would be better for us to all go to the refuge, start an engine and with the carbon monoxide, just let ourselves go.”
‘I think all of us felt that way. At that moment it wasn’t really committing suicide, it was not to continue suffering. We were going to die anyway.’
He added, ‘Before I went in, I was a happy guy. Being trapped, watching my friends around me die, rocks falling…the other me is still in there.’ 
* Daily Mail UK