One dead, five trapped after giant Chile copper mine collapses

At slightest 100 radical are progressive successful hunt operations astatine the world’s largest underground copper mine.

Rescue teams successful Chile are searching for 5 miners trapped aft a partial illness triggered by a tremor killed 1 workfellow and halted operations astatine the world’s largest underground copper mine.

At slightest 100 radical were progressive successful the perilous hunt effort, said Andres Music, wide manager of El Teniente excavation successful Rancagua, immoderate 100km (62 miles) southbound of Santiago.

“So far, we person not been capable to pass with them. The tunnels are closed, they are collapsed,” helium told reporters connected Friday.

The miners had been moving astatine a extent of much than 900 metres erstwhile the illness happened. Their nonstop determination has been pinpointed with specialised equipment.

“We volition bash everything that is humanly imaginable to rescue the 5 trapped workers,” Maximo Pacheco, the president of Chile’s state-owned mining institution Codelco, told a quality league connected Friday afternoon.

“All of our experience, each of our knowledge, each of our vigor and each of our spot are dedicated to this origin and to seeing this through,” helium added.

Codelco cancelled a presumption of its first-half fiscal results, acceptable for Friday morning, owed to the rescue efforts.

Temporary closure

Mining curate Aurora Williams earlier announced the impermanent cessation of enactment astatine the mine, which began operating successful the aboriginal 1900s and boasts much than 4,500km (some 2,800 miles) of underground tunnels.

Last year, El Teniente produced 356,000 tonnes of copper – astir 7 percent of the full for Chile.

The cave-in happened aft a “seismic event” connected Thursday afternoon, of which the root – earthy oregon caused by drilling – is not yet known, according to authorities. The tremor registered a magnitude of 4.2.

“It is 1 of the biggest events, if not the biggest, that the El Teniente deposit has experienced successful decades,” said Music, adding: “We are making each effort to effort to rescue these 5 miners.”

“The adjacent 48 hours are crucial,” the manager said.

The hunt squad included respective of the rescuers who participated successful successfully surfacing 33 miners trapped successful a excavation for much than 2 months successful the Atacama Desert successful 2010, attracting a whirlwind of planetary media attention.

Chile is the world’s largest copper producer, liable for astir a 4th of planetary proviso with astir 5.3 cardinal tonnes successful 2024. Its mining manufacture is 1 of the safest connected the planet, with a decease complaint of 0.02 percent past year, according to the National Geology and Mining Service of Chile.

It besides lies successful the seismically progressive “Ring of Fire” that surrounds the shores of the Pacific Ocean.