All five workers trapped underground at Chile’s El Teniente copper mine have been found dead, regional prosecutors confirmed on 4 August, bringing the death toll to six.
The bodies were discovered after rescue teams cleared more than 24 metres of collapsed tunnels caused by a strong tremor last Thursday evening. Prosecutor Aquiles Cubillo of the O’Higgins region announced the discovery of the fifth body on Sunday afternoon.
One person died at the time of the accident on Thursday evening, 70 hours before the final trapped worker was found.
The collapse initially trapped six workers, with one dying immediately during the incident. Rescue teams found the first trapped miner on Saturday, followed by three more on Sunday. Codelco, Chile’s state-run copper producer, has not yet commented on the final recovery.
This tragic accident highlights ongoing concerns about safety in one of the world’s largest underground mines.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the tremor and the collapse.
President Gabriel Boric expressed his condolences and called for urgent answers.
“We will not allow this to be just another tragedy in the mining sector,” he said.
Throughout the weekend, dozens of people placed candles, Chilean flags and photos of the trapped workers at a makeshift memorial outside the entrance to El Teniente.
Codelco is the world's biggest copper miner and Chile the largest global producer that supplies about a quarter of the world's red metal used in industries from construction to electronics.
El Teniente, which is more than a century old and boasts the world's largest underground copper deposit, spans more than 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) of tunnels and underground galleries - nearly the distance between Chile and New York - in the Andes Mountains, about 75 kilometres (47 miles) southeast of Chile's capital Santiago.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took first place in state elections in northeastern Germany on Sunday,...
Iran's military has threatened to launch sustained attacks on U.S. bases and interests across the Middle East if Washington resumes milita...
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Servic...
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
Russian authorities have reported attacks on voting systems and communication lines as the country’s parliamentary election entered its second day on Saturday (19 September).
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took first place in state elections in northeastern Germany on Sunday, voting projections showed, delivering the worst result for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's mainstream conservative party since 1949.
The Left Party won Sunday's Berlin state election with 25.5 per cent of the vote in the preliminary result, ahead of the Christian Democrats (CDU) on 19.1 per cent. This marks a major shift in the city's political landscape and a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ruling coalition.
A group of French nationals, suspected of belonging to the Islamic State (IS), on trial in Iraq could face execution, a member of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council told a hearing in Baghdad on Sunday.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has prepared sanctions targeting the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) and could announce them soon, escalating Washington's efforts to pressure the global tribunal.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment