Codelco Finds Human Remains in Blow to Chile Mine Rescue Efforts
Just hours after telling reporters that there was a chance the workers would be found safe in a collapsed tunnel at the El Teniente mine, a Codelco official said authorities and families of the trapped workers had been informed of the discovery of remains that haven't yet been identified.
'This discovery fills us with sadness, but it also shows us that we are in the right place, that the strategy followed led us to them,' said Andrés Music, who heads the operations for the mine, which is located south of Santiago.
'We will continue working with all our strength and hope but now with greater caution, which could mean that progress will be slower,' he said about the rescue efforts.
The world's biggest copper supplier halted production at the site after a collapse attributed to seismic activity on Thursday trapped workers in a new section of the mine, called Andesita. One person had been confirmed dead and nine others were injured in the incident, the latest setback for Codelco's efforts to recover from a years-long output slump.
A 100-person team — including some of those who helped rescue 33 workers trapped in another Chilean mine in 2010 — has been working on the El Teniente rescue effort.
Days after celebrating the US government's decision to spare its copper from hefty tariffs, Codelco is reeling from the deadly incident and facing renewed doubts about its ability to meet its production target.
El Teniente is crucial for Codelco's aim to return to pre-pandemic production levels of about 1.7 million tons (1.5 million metric tons) a year from about 1.4 million tons currently. Codelco delayed reporting its quarterly results, including annual production guidance, on Friday as it deals with the accident.
When production can resume at the mine will depend on the outcome of an investigation into the collapse, how much reinforcement of infrastructure is required and whether mining method adjustments are needed.
Mines in Chile are designed to withstand much stronger seismic activity than the 4.2-magnitude event that caused the collapse.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
2 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Not Acceptable": Top Trump Aide Accuses India Of "Financing" Russia's War In Ukraine
Washington: A senior official of US President Donald Trump's administration accused India of imposing "massive" tariffs on American goods and "cheating" the US immigration system, in addition to purchasing the Russian oil that's "financing" Russia's war in Ukraine. The remarks came amid the United States' escalating pressure on New Delhi to stop trading with Moscow. "What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That's an astonishing fact," Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff at the White House and one of Trump's most influential aides, said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures." Miller's comments are some of the strongest yet by the Trump administration about one of the United States' major partners in the Indo-Pacific. He claimed that Trump "wants a tremendous relationship and has had always a tremendous relationship with India" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "But we need to get real about dealing with the financing of this President Trump, all options are on the table to deal diplomatically, financially and otherwise with the ongoing war in Ukraine, so we can achieve peace," he added. Indian government sources on Saturday said that New Delhi would keep purchasing Russian oil despite US threats. The Indian government has also not given any instructions to its oil refiners to stop buying Russian oil. Both state-run and private refiners are allowed to buy from preferred sources, and crude purchases remain a commercial decision, according to a report by Bloomberg. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Modi has also struck a defiant tone in the face of Trump's tariff threats and underscored the importance of shielding India's economic interests during uncertain global conditions. "The world economy is going through many apprehensions - there is an atmosphere of instability," PM Modi said at a rally in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. "Now, whatever we buy, there should be only one scale: we will buy those things which have been made by the sweat of an Indian."
The Hindu
2 minutes ago
- The Hindu
All five miners found dead after Chilean mine collapse
A rescue operation in Chile at the world's largest underground copper mine ended Sunday (August 3, 2025) with no survivors, as the body of a fifth missing miner was found days after a tunnel collapsed, officials said. "Today we finally found [dead] the last of the missing workers," Aquiles Cubillos, prosecutor for Chile's O'Higgins region, told reporters. Operations at the El Teniente mining center had been suspended since Friday after a "seismic event" caused the collapse of a tunnel the day before, trapping the five miners inside. Whether the cause of the shaking was due to an earthquake or drilling remains under investigation. El Teniente, which is operated by the Chilean state-owned mining firm Codelco, boasts more than 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) of tunnels and is the largest underground copper deposit in the world. Last year, it produced 356,000 metric tonnes (over 392,000 tons) of copper — nearly seven percent of the total for Chile. Chile's mining industry is considered among the safest in the world, with a fatality rate of 0.02 percent in 2024, according to the National Geology and Mining Service of Chile.
Economic Times
32 minutes ago
- Economic Times
PM Modi defiant as Trump steps up pressure on India's Russia oil purchases
Prime Minister Narendra Modi struck a defiant tone in the face of US President Donald Trump's tariff threats, urging the nation to buy local goods as his administration signaled it would continue buying Russian government hasn't given India's oil refiners instructions to stop buying Russian oil, and no decision has been taken on whether to halt the purchases, people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg, asking not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. Both state-run and private refiners are allowed to buy from preferred sources, and crude purchases remain a commercial decision, several of the people the weekend, Modi underscored the importance of shielding India's economic interests during uncertain global conditions. The comments came just days after the Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on Indian exports to the US. The White House is also threatening more action if India continues Russian oil purchases. 'The world economy is going through many apprehensions — there is an atmosphere of instability,' Modi said at a rally in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. 'Now, whatever we buy, there should be only one scale: we will buy those things which have been made by the sweat of an Indian.' India has become one of Trump's top targets as he looks to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine. The US president lashed out at India last week, criticizing it for joining the BRICS grouping of developing countries and maintaining close ties with Russia, saying 'they can take their dead economies down together.' The rebuke marked a stunning shift in tone for the US, which for years had overlooked India's close historical ties with Russia as it courted the nation as a counterweight in Asia to China. Now, Trump appears willing to undo that strategy to gain leverage against Putin, who has resisted the US president's efforts to end the fighting in Ukraine. Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff, on Sunday accused India of imposing 'massive' tariffs on American goods and 'cheating' the US immigration system in addition to purchasing about as much Russian oil as China. 'President Trump, he wants a tremendous relationship and has had always a tremendous relationship with India and the prime minister,' Miller said. 'But we need to get real about dealing with the financing of this war.''So, President Trump, all options are on the table to deal diplomatically, financially and otherwise with the ongoing war in Ukraine, so we can achieve peace,' Miller last week told reporters he 'heard' India would no longer be buying oil from Russia, calling it 'a good step.' Bloomberg reported last week that refiners were told to come up with plans for buying non-Russian crude, but one of the people said the instruction amounted to scenario planning in case Russian crude were to become New York Times reported Saturday that India would keep buying Russian crude despite a threat of penalties from Trump, citing two senior Indian officials it didn't identify. An Oil Ministry spokesperson didn't reply to messages from Bloomberg seeking comment outside of regular business refiners have been singled out by the European Union and the US for supporting Moscow during its war in Ukraine with the oil purchases. It has become the world's biggest buyer of Russian seaborne exports of crude, soaking up discounted barrels and ramping up its purchases from almost zero to about one-third of its China is the primary economic and diplomatic backer of Russia, Trump's leverage against the world's second-biggest economy is limited due to Beijing's control of rare-earth magnets the US needs to make high-tech goods. The US and China have held talks in recent months aimed at stabilizing the relationship after they both hiked tariffs on each other's goods well beyond 100% earlier this year. India has defended its ties with Russia, one of its biggest suppliers of weapons dating back to the Cold War. The two nations have a 'steady and time-tested partnership,' Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Friday. 'Our bilateral relationships with various countries stand on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country,' Jaiswal said. Asked about ties with the US, he added that he's 'confident that the relationship will continue to move forward.'India expects US trade negotiators to visit the country toward the end of the month to continue talks on a bilateral deal, an official in New Delhi said Friday. The nation will hold its ground and won't give the US access to its dairy and agriculture sectors, the official said, citing political and religious sensitivities. Modi's renewed emphasis on domestic manufacturing and consumption echoes his long-standing 'Make in India' initiative. However, the message has taken on new urgency after the US tariffs.'The interests of our farmers, our small industries and the employment of our youth are of paramount importance,' Modi told the rally on Saturday.
