Chilean rescuers recover the bodies of 4 miners who were trapped in a collapsed shaft
Rescue workers at the El Teniente mine, about 60 miles south of the capital Santiago, are still looking for the fifth miner, identified as Moises Pavez, mine director Andres Music said.
The trapped miners were located thanks to GPS devices, but rescue workers had to drill through dozens of feet of rock to reach them.
A section of the mine collapsed following a 4.2 magnitude quake on Thursday, killing one worker and injuring nine others.
Authorities are investigating whether it was a naturally occurring earthquake or whether mining activity at El Teniente caused the tremor. Chilean prosecutors also launched a criminal investigation to determine whether any safety standards were violated.
El Teniente, located in the Andes mountains in central Chile, is the world's largest underground copper mine and is owned by Chilean state company Codelco.
Shortly after Thursday's collapse, Codelco halted operations at the affected section of the copper mine and evacuated 3,000 people from the wider site to safe areas.
The company canceled a presentation of its first-half financial results, set for Friday morning, due to the rescue efforts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bodies of All 5 Missing Miners Found as Death Toll in Copper Mine Collapse Reaches 6
'We deeply regret this outcome,' said a Chilean prosecutor who announced the discovery of the body of the fifth trapped minerNEED TO KNOW A mine located in the Andes Mountains collapsed after a 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck the region on July 31 The bodies of five trapped miners were found over the weekend, and authorities said they are investigating the incident Chile declared three days of mourning for the fallen minersChile is in a state of mourning as authorities confirmed that a person was found dead following last week's mine collapse. Moisés Pavez's body was discovered on Sunday, Aug. 3, at 3:30 p.m. local time, according to Aquiles Cubillos, a lead prosecutor in the country's O'Higgins region, the Associated Press, The Guardian and the BBC reported. 'We deeply regret this outcome,' said Cubillos. The mine collapsed after the U.S. Geological Survey recorded an earthquake near where the El Teniente mine is located, just after 5:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, July 31, according to The New York Times and the Associated Press. The National Copper Corporation of Chile, also known as Codelco, said earlier in a series of Spanish-language statements that one person, Paulo Marín Tapia, died after the 4.2 magnitude earthquake impacted the work site. During a press conference, El Teniente's General Manager Andres Music said the tunnels inside the mine 'are closed' after they 'collapsed' following the earthquake, Reuters reported. 'There's no possibility of even radio communication," he added. 'We are making every effort to try to rescue these five miners,' Music also said, per the AP. 'The next 48 hours are crucial.' In addition to Pavez, the bodies of the four other trapped miners — Gonzalo Núñez, Jean Miranda, Alex Araya and Carlos Arancibia — have been located since Saturday, Aug. 2, the BBC reported. They were found through GPS devices, but searchers were unable to reach them, The Guardian added. Music said that around 100 rescue workers were at El Teniente when the earthquake struck, according to the Times. Nine people who were working on the Andesita project at the El Teniente mine had non-life-threatening injuries. Local media said the victims' ages ranged between 29 and 34, Reuters reported. At a Sunday press conference, Codelco CEO Rubén Alvarado mourned the loss of the six and announced that search operations had concluded. PEOPLE contacted Codelco for comment on Monday, Aug. 4. 'With great sadness, we wish to convey our condolences to the loved ones of Paulo, Gonzalo, Alex, Carlos, Jean, and Moisés, six miners who have lost their lives,' Alvarado said. 'I also thank those who were present: authorities, workers, and the community who have supported us throughout this process.' Music also expressed gratitude to the emergency responders. 'From day one, we committed to doing everything humanly possible,' he said at the press conference. 'It wasn't the outcome I expected, but we managed to reach them and bring them back with the respect and dignity they deserve.' Máximo Pacheco, Codelco's chairman of the board, announced that an investigation into the incident has been launched. 'We will commission an international audit with the best experts to determine what we did wrong. We owe it to the workers' families, to those who work at Codelco, and to all of Chile,' Pacheco said. The El Teniente mine is regarded as the world's largest underground copper operation, according to It spans over 4,500 kilometers (about 2,800 miles) of tunnels and underground galleries in the Andes Mountains. On Sunday, Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared that the country will observe three days of mourning through Tuesday, Aug. 5, and expressed his condolences to the victims' families. He added, "We will closely monitor the investigation to ensure clear answers are provided regarding the causes and responsibilities for this unfortunate incident." Meanwhile, Cubillos said that the incident is being investigated, Chilean news outlet El Mercurio reported. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'Every time there is a work-related accident,' he said, translated from Spanish, 'we have to rule out the possibility of homicide. Given this case, we have resulted in deaths and injuries.' 'To do so, we must investigate with all safety and technical regulations,' Cubillos continued. 'This is because any regulatory or legal violations could lead to negligent liability. ... That is why the Prosecutor's Office is obligated to investigate.' Read the original article on People
12 hours ago
The bodies of all 5 miners are found and identified in Chile's El Teniente mine after collapse
BOGOTA, Colombia -- The bodies of all five miners trapped in a collapsed shaft in the world's biggest underground copper mine for three days have been found and identified, an official said Sunday. Aquiles Cubillos, the lead prosecutor in Chile's O'Higgins region, said the body of Moises Pavez, the last miner to remain missing, was found at 3:30 p.m. local time by rescue teams. They had drilled through dozens of meters (feet) of rock to reach the stranded workers. 'We deeply regret this outcome' Cubillos said. The five miners were trapped deep inside Chile's El Teniente mine on Thursday after a section of the mine collapsed following a 4.2 magnitude earthquake that instantly killed another miner and injured nine other workers. The trapped miners were located by using GPS devices but rescue teams were not able to communicate with them. Authorities are investigating whether it was a naturally occurring earthquake or whether mining activity at El Teniente caused the tremor. Chilean prosecutors also launched a criminal investigation to determine whether any safety standards were violated. El Teniente, located in the Andes mountains in central Chile, is the world's largest underground copper mine and is owned by Chilean state company Codelco. Shortly after Thursday's collapse, Codelco halted operations in the affected section of the mine and evacuated 3,000 people from the broader site to safe areas. The company canceled a presentation of its first-half financial results, set for Friday morning, due to the rescue efforts. Chile, the world's biggest copper producer, lies in the seismically active 'Ring of Fire' that surrounds the shores of the Pacific Ocean. In 2010, Chile's government rescued 33 miners trapped in a copper mine in the country's north for two months in a dramatic operation that made global headlines and was later depicted in a Hollywood movie.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rescuers recover body of trapped worker at Chile copper mine
One of five miners trapped after a partial collapse at the world's largest underground copper mine has been found dead, Chile's state-owned Codelco group announced Saturday. The collapse took place Thursday at the El Teniente mine in Rancagua, 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Santiago, following a "seismic event." It was not yet known whether the tremor was natural or caused by drilling. At least 100 people were participating in the rescue operation for the workers, who had been extending the mine to a depth of 1,200 meters (3,900 feet). "As part of the search operation, human remains were found and have yet to be identified by the authorities," Codelco said in a statement. El Teniente general manager Andres Music said the discovery of the miner's remains "deeply saddens us, but it also tells us that we are in the right place" to find the other missing workers. Thursday's magnitude 4.2 quake resulted in an initial toll of one dead and nine injured. President Gabriel Boric visited miners' relatives on Saturday and vowed to "complete the search." "Codelco has all the resources, experience and technology to carry out" the search, he said. Work has been suspended at El Teniente, which began operating in the early 1900s and boasts more than 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) of underground tunnels. Last year, the site produced 356,000 metric tonnes (over 392,000 tons) of copper -- nearly seven percent of the total for Chile. Chile is the world's largest copper producer, responsible for nearly a quarter of global supply with about 5.3 million metric tonnes (5.8 million tons) in 2024. The metal is critical for wiring, motors and renewable energy technology. pa/dg/cls/lpt/acb/aks
