One dead, five trapped after the collapse of the giant Chilean copper mine Mining news

At least 100 people participate in searches in the largest underground copper mine in the world.

The Chilean rescue teams are looking for five mines trapped workers after a partial collapse that killed one colleague and stopped operations in the largest underground copper mine in the world.

Andres Music, General Manager of the Lennte Mine in Rankagua, said about 100 km (62 miles) south of Santiago.

He told reporters on Friday: “Until now, we have not been able to communicate with them. The tunnels are closed and collapsed.”

Miners were working at a depth of more than 900 meters when the collapse occurred. Its exact location is determined with specialized equipment.

“We will do everything that is humanitarian to save the five detainees,” Maximo Pashiko, head of the state -owned mining company in Chile, told a press conference on Friday afternoon.

He added: “All our experience, all our knowledge, all our energy and all our strength is intended for this issue and seeing this through.”

Codelco canceled a presentation of its financial results in the first half, which was identified on Friday morning, due to the rescue efforts.

Temporary closure

The Minister of Mining, Aurora Williams, announced the temporary stop of the activity in the mine, which started work in the early twentieth century and is characterized by more than 4,500 km (about 2800 miles) of underground tunnels.

Last year, El Teniente produced 356,000 tons of copper – approximately 7 percent of Chile’s total.

The cave occurred after a “seismic event” on Thursday afternoon, which was not the origin of the normal or caused by the excavation-known yet, according to the authorities. The tremor was recorded at 4.2.

The music said: “It is one of the biggest events, if not the largest, which has witnessed the deposit of El Teeniente decades ago,” adding: “We are doing its best to try to save these five miners.”

“The next 48 hours are decisive,” the director said.

The research team included many rescue men who participated in Successfully floats on the surface 33 miners workers Besieged In a mine for more than two months in the Atakama Desert in 2010, it attracts a whirlwind of the attention of the global media.

Chile is the largest copper producer in the world, and is responsible for nearly a quarter of the global show by about 5.3 million tons in 2024. Its mining industry is one of the most secure on this planet, with a death rate of 0.02 percent last year, according to national geology and mining in Chile.

It also lies in the active “episode” of the seismic aspect that surrounds the beaches of the Pacific Ocean.