Five Miners Trapped in World’s Largest Copper Mine after Major Collapse as Rescue Efforts Intensify

Chilean officials are in a frantic race to rescue five miners trapped in El Teniente, one of the world’s largest copper mines, following a fatal collapse on Thursday. The incident occurred due to an earthquake that caused the mine shaft where the missing miners were working to cave in.

The catastrophe also left nine individuals injured, according to Codelco, the state-owned firm operating the mine. The National Seismological Center of the University of Chile reported a 4.3 magnitude earthquake in the region surrounding the mine on Thursday.

Codelco CEO Rubén Alvarado stated that the first 48 hours are critical for locating the trapped miners, and an estimated 20 meters (65 feet) of debris in the mine tunnel must be cleared by rescue teams to reach their potential location. As of Friday, only four meters had been removed.

El Teniente is located in Chile’s central O’Higgins region and is known as the world’s largest copper deposit, according to data from the company. Operations have been halted while rescue workers dig through debris to free the trapped miners.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric issued a statement on Friday expressing his government’s commitment to finding the missing miners and coordinating necessary ground actions with the Minister of Mining, Aurora Williams.

At a press conference on Saturday, Boric expressed his condolences to the family of Paulo Marín Tapia, who lost his life in the collapse, and stated that he is in contact with the families of the five trapped miners.

As hours pass, the anxiety among the families and their fellow miners escalates. Edgar Rodrigo Quesada, a miner and former union leader, told CNN that while there is an emergency shelter within the tunnel in case of a collapse, it’s located far from where they believe the miners might be trapped. The question remains if they managed to reach the shelter in time.

“I only pray that my colleagues are safe,” Quesada said. “Honestly, the shelter is quite distant from where the collapse occurred.”

The Chilean prosecutor’s office has initiated an investigation into the cause of the collapse, and Codelco has also launched its own probe. The general manager of El Teniente mine, Andrés Music, confirmed that the accident was not due to the use of explosives and emphasized that every possible effort is being made for the rescue of these workers.