EXCLUSIVE: Australian Miners Talk About Their 14-Day Ordeal

June 2, 2006 — -- The two Australian men who survived being trapped in a mine for 14 days hardly knew each other before the ordeal.

Now, they have an undeniable bond.

When Brant Webb, 37, and Todd Russell, 34, showed up for work on April 25, they were regular miners. They emerged as national celebrities when they walked out of the mine after being trapped in a small cage the size of a closet 3,200 feet underground.

"The probability that we'd survive the rockfall, that we'd have an overabundance of water, ample air. … The chance of all that happening in our favor, it could only have happened thanks to a miracle," Webb said on "Good Morning America."

For five days, the two survived on one cereal bar and water that dripped from nearby rocks. Using thermal imaging, rescuers found the trapped miners and drilled a narrow pipe through the rock bed to send them food, notes of encouragement, and iPods.

This was a huge help, considering the men had little in common and time passed slowly.

"It turns out we're complete opposites in terms of interest," Webb said.

Webb loves rock music while Russell is a fan of country and Western music. Webb smokes and loves fishing while Russell's a reformed smoker and loves to hunt but can't stand fishing.

The one thing they shared in common was off-limits.

"Our wives and families were the one thing we just couldn't bear to talk about," Webb said. "It was just much too painful for us to talk about what we might lose forever."

Meanwhile, rescue teams dug an escape tunnel, at times by hand to avoid the narrow shaft from collapsing.

On the third day in the mine, after the duo felt a big tremor, the two made a pact.

"I said to Brant, 'If my legs get covered with more rock, would you be willing to cut them off for me with the Stanley knife?'" Russell said.

As the days merged into weeks, the miners had some doubts about surviving. They motivated each other.

"I never gave up hope but that's because Todd brainwashed me," Webb said. "He just kept on saying, kept on repeating, 'That it's always a search until bodies are found.'"