Death toll hits 6 at Chile mine collapse as rescue efforts end
Codelco, the world’s biggest copper supplier, had halted mining at the site after a collapse triggered by seismic activity
Codelco recovered the bodies of all five missing workers caught in a tunnel collapse at one of the world’s biggest underground copper mines in central Chile.
“It was a night of mourning for the families, for Codelco, for mining and for Chile,” Mary Carmen Lano, the company’s head of human resources, told reporters on Sunday.
Codelco, the world’s biggest copper supplier, halted mining at the site after a collapse triggered by seismic activity at a new section of the complex, called Andesita. It is the latest setback for Codelco’s efforts to recover from a years-long output slump, with investments marked by long delays and cost overruns.
A 100-person team – including some of those who helped free 33 workers trapped in another Chilean mine in 2010 – had been working on the El Teniente rescue effort, which has since been halted.