A serious mining accident in Codelco's El Teniente Division in central Chile has left one worker dead and five others missing, following a seismic event that caused a structural collapse in the Andesita sector on Thursday afternoon.
The incident occurred at approximately 5:34 p.m. local time, when a 4.2-magnitude tremor struck the region of O'Higgins, triggering a landslide inside the mine. Initial reports suggested only injuries, but footage shared by workers on site revealed the true scale of the collapse.
Worker identified, nine injured
Codelco confirmed the fatality through an official statement, identifying the deceased as Paulo Marín Tapia, an employee of contractor firm Salfa Montajes who was working on the Andesita Project.
"So far, an additional nine people have been identified with injuries of varying severity, but none are in life-threatening condition. Search efforts for the other five workers are ongoing," the company reported.
The state-owned copper producer added that its emergency committee had been activated and that it was “making every possible effort and deploying all available resources to manage this emergency. In addition, support and assistance have been arranged for the affected families and work teams.”
Government responds: “A tragedy”
The Chilean government declared the event a national emergency. Minister Secretary General Camila Vallejo stated, “We are facing a tragedy,” she said, acknowledging the gravity of the situation and confirming that the search for the missing miners remains the top priority.
Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde announced the issuance of a yellow alert for Machalí, aimed at expediting all necessary resources for the rescue efforts. “The deployment of all available capabilities to carry out the rescue” is now underway, he stated.
The National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin) will oversee the investigation into the collapse’s causes.
President Boric: “We will do everything within our power”
President Gabriel Boric ordered Mining Minister Aurora Williams to travel to the site to coordinate emergency actions on the ground. “We will do everything within our power to find them,” Boric declared.
He extended his condolences to the family of the deceased: “To the family, friends, and colleagues of Paulo Marín Tapia [...] my heartfelt embrace in this difficult moment.”
The President also canceled his scheduled activities, including a trip to Talcahuano, to monitor the emergency personally.
The missing miners
Authorities confirmed the identities of the five missing workers, all employed by external service providers:
- Moisés Pávez Armijo
- Gonzalo Núñez Caroca
- Alex Araya Acevedo
- Juan Miranda Ibaceta
- Carlos Arancibia Valenzuela
Emergency teams remain on site, continuing round-the-clock efforts to locate the trapped miners amid challenging underground conditions. No further communication with them has been established since the collapse.
