The five minors trapped by a collapse Thursday in the largest underground copper mine in the world, in southern Chile, were all found dead, the prosecution announced on Sunday, August 3, after the discovery of the last body.
All the bodies were found in the same place, where the collapse caused by a “Seismic event”whose origin, natural or linked to boreholes, is being invested.
“Today, we finally found (dead) the last of the workers who was missing”the regional prosecutor of the O’Higgins region, Aquiles Cubillos, told the press, announcing the end of rescue operations.
Located near Rancagua, a locality in this region, El Teniente is with its 4,500 km of galleries the largest underground copper deposit on the planet, owned by the Chilean public enterprise Codelco.
“From today is starting a key step, the investigation”said the chairman of the board of directors of Codelco, Máximo Pacheco, during a press conference, promising to do “Everything you need to clarify every detail of this tragedy”.
“We are the first interested in knowing quickly and reliably what happened”he added.
This is one of the most tragic accidents that occurred in the El Teniente mine in the past three decades.
On government order, the mine has been stopped since Friday to facilitate research. No date has been set for the resumption of production.
President Gabril Boric went to Rancagua on Sunday, 100 km south of Santiago. After confirmation of the death of minors, he decreed three days of national mourning.
Light up the facts
“Today we are closing a step, the first, the most painful and the most deeply felt, and another step begins, that of clarifying the facts, understanding what happened”he said at a press conference.
Codelco, owner of the El Teniente deposit, employs 4,000 people directly and makes work 15,000 others through subcontracting companies.
Mine activities have been paralyzed since Friday following a decision by the Ministry of Mines.
The Minister, Aurora Williams, said that no date had been set for their recovery.
“We want this to be done as quickly as possible, without however harming the rigor (surveys)”, she told the press.
The activity can resume “Totally or partially”she added.
Last year, El Teniente produced 356,000 tonnes of copper ore, or 6.7% of the production of Chile, the world’s leading producer with 5.3 million tonnes annual.
The Chile mining industry is considered one of the safest in the world. In 2024, the mortality rate was 0.02%, according to the national service of geology and mines.