The operation, led by emergency personnel of the state company Codelco, continues uninterruptedly with the aim of locating the two workers who remain missing: Álex Araya Acevedo and Carlos Arancibia Valenzuela.
Three days after the collapse in the Chilean Lieutenant Minethe eldest underground copper deposit of the worldthe number of fatal victims rose to four. During Sunday morning, rescue teams two other bodies found near the place where the first was found on Saturdayin the midst of complex working conditions and still unstable land.
The information was confirmed by the regional prosecutor of O’Higgins, Achilles Cubilloswho indicated that we still work on the identification of the bodies, although the families were already notified. The findings occurred in the same gallery where the body of Gonzalo Núñez Carocaalready officially recognized.
Chile: There are already four miners who died in the lieutenant and continue to search for two missing after the collapse
The operation, led by emergency personnel from the state company Codelcocontinues uninterruptedly with the aim of locating the two workers who are still missing: Álex Araya Acevedo and Carlos Arancibia Valenzuela.
The accident occurred on Thursday at 17:34, after an earthquake of magnitude 4.2 registered in the Andesite sector, 500 meters deep. According to preliminary versions, the tremor would have been a consequence of drilling work in the underground division of the deposit, located 120 km south of Santiago.
Mina-Chile
In total, the collapse initially left two fatalities, nine injured and five people trapped. So far, three of the latter were found lifeless. The collapsed area is about 90 meters of extension and represents a constant risk for rescuers, who operate with specialized machinery under strict security protocols.
The President Gabriel Boric traveled to Rancagua on Saturdayfrom where he announced the incorporation of experts who participated in the rescue of the 33 miners in 2010. “The entire structure of the state is at the service of this mission. Today the priority is to save lives, the rest will be investigated later,” he said.
The president of Codelco, Maximum PachecoHe did not rule out that the earthquake has been induced by drilling work. He also indicated that The mine has shelters equipped with oxygen, water and food for 20 people, which maintains the hope of finding the remaining workers alive.
This fact raises the number of deaths registered in Chilean mining to seven so far from 2025, reopening the debate on security conditions in the extractive sector. National attention continues to focus on the outcome of a tragedy that puts the risks of a key activity for the country’s economy again.
Source: Ambito
