One dead, five missing after tunnel collapse at Chile’s El Teniente mine

One miner has died and five others remain missing after a tunnel collapsed at the El Teniente copper mine in central Chile, officials said on Friday.

The incident occurred late Thursday within the Andesita project of the El Teniente complex, located in the O’Higgins Region. State-owned mining firm Codelco confirmed that the collapse followed a 4.2-magnitude seismic event linked to mining activity.

Rescue teams recovered the body of one worker, identified as Paulo Marín Tapia, but have not yet reached the area where the remaining five miners are believed to be trapped. Access remains severely restricted due to the collapse.

Chile’s President Gabriel Boric expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and said the government is using all available resources to locate the missing workers.

The next 48 hours are considered critical for the rescue operation, as authorities have not established contact with those still underground. Specialised high-risk police teams are assisting Codelco’s own rescue units at the site.

El Teniente is regarded as the world’s largest underground copper mine and has a history of serious accidents. The deadliest occurred in 1945, when 355 miners died. In 2010, 33 miners were rescued after spending 69 days trapped underground at the San José mine in northern Chile.

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