SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Codelco announced on Sunday that four of the five miners who were trapped at its El Teniente copper mine have been confirmed dead. Rescue crews are continuing their efforts to clear collapsed underground tunnels following a powerful tremor last week.
With this latest news, the accident’s total death toll now stands at five, which includes one worker who passed away at the time of the incident on Thursday evening.
The first trapped miner was located by Codelco on Saturday, with two more being found early Sunday. A fourth victim was discovered later on Sunday morning, according to Andes Music, the general manager of El Teniente.
“We worked through the night with extreme caution, searching meter by meter,” he stated at a press conference. “I also do not want to give false hope. We must hope our rescue teams can keep making progress.”
By early Sunday, rescue teams had cleared 24 meters of the obstructed passages. Codelco officials had previously estimated that they might need to clear up to 90 meters in the mine’s new Andesita section to reach the trapped workers.
The collapse happened on Thursday around 5:30 p.m. local time and was triggered by one of the strongest seismic events ever recorded at El Teniente, with an impact equivalent to a 4.2 magnitude earthquake.
Codelco is currently investigating whether the tremor was a result of mining activities or natural tectonic movements in the earthquake-prone nation.
