SANTIAGO - The meals were packaged and sent down in a tube Chilean miners trapped underground after a rock collapse have received their first hot meal in 26 days.

Meatballs, chicken and rice were piped through a tube to the 33 miners, who are stuck 700m (2,300ft) below the surface.

Previously the miners have received only glucose tablets and high-protein milk.

A team from the US space agency Nasa has arrived at the mine to offer their advice on keeping the miners healthy.

The team of four experts was requested by the Chilean government to share their experience of coping in confined spaces.

A nutritionist from the team helped put together the menu.

 
Engineers have drilled through 20m of rock so far at the San Jose gold and copper mine, near Copiapo, after beginning their work on Monday. The rescue attempt is expected to take three to four months.

Drilling was paused to shore up the shaft's wall with cement on Wednesday after a minor geological fault was detected in the rock, the rescue operation's chief engineer Andres Sougarret said.

The Nasa team, who will be there until Friday, praised the work of rescue workers to keep miners healthy.