Beware of fraudsters, Chilean miners tell rescued Thai boys

SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) – Guard against exploitation: that's the message Chilean miners have offered the 12 Thai boys and their football coach following the harrowing ordeal of spending 18 days trapped in a cave.

Before even the clothes of the Wild Boar football team players had dried following the last dramatic escape mission on Tuesday from the flooded cave, already plans were being made to turn their heroic tale into a Hollywood movie.

Eight years ago, 33 Chilean miners were stuck underground for 69 days after a cavein, before their torment was turned into a motion picture starring Antonio Banderas.

But although "The 33" grossed $25 million at the box office, the miners never saw a penny of that.

"Hopefully they'll make a film, a television

series, a best-selling novel, but that they do it well, that they are smart and don't get taken for a ride by fraudsters," Mario Sepulveda, who was played by Banderas in "The 33", told AFP.

The boys are aged 11 to 16 and even their coach is only 25, whereas the Chilean miners were all grown men.

Many of them have suffered terribly since their traumatic experience in the San Jose mine in the Atacama desert.

"The most important thing is that the authorities and their families protect these kids because many people just want to take advantage," said Luis Urzua, another miner.

On Tuesday night, the managing partner of US faith-based production house Pure Flix, Michael Scott revealed on Twitter his plans to turn the story into a film.