Chile Mine Fall: Four dead in Copper Shaft Disaster; One is still unabated
Four activists trapped in a collapsed copper mine in Central Chile, after an earthquake of 4.3 magnitude in the area, were found dead, while one of the workers is still missing, the authorities confirmed on Sunday.The incident occurred in L. Tenant on Thursday, one of the world’s largest copper mines, run by Chile’s state -run mining company, Kodelco. Operations in the El Tenant have been suspended since the collapse.Kodelco confirmed that one of the workers, the body of Gonzalo Nunez Karka was recovered on Saturday, while the three miners found on Sunday have not been identified yet.A worker was confirmed on the day of the incident, making five other people underground. Nine additional activists were injured.Codelco CEO Ruben Alvardado on Friday stressed that the first 48 hours were important for rescue operations. He said that workers needed to clean 20 meters debris to reach the area where stranded miners were considered.Chile’s President Gabriel Borik said on Friday that his government would do everything in “its) power to find the missing workers. CNN reported that he sent mining minister Arora Williams to the site to coordinate the rescue efforts.At a press conference on Saturday, Borik expressed condolences to the family of Paulo Marin Tapia, confirmed another, and said he was still in touch with the families of the missing people.Mine General Manager Andres Music expressed condolences in a Saturday statement. “We know that this news is difficult for the families of our colleagues and our entire mining community,” he said. Both Kodelco and Chile prosecutor’s office have investigated the cause of collapse. Music insisted that the incident was not caused by explosives. “We are making every effort to save these workers,” he said as quoted by CNN.
