1 Dead, 5 Trapped After Copper Mine Collapses Following 4.2 Magnitude Earthquake
One person is dead and five people are trapped after a mine collapsed following an earthquake in Chile, according to the company operating the mine
The mine, located in the Andes Mountains, collapsed after a 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck the region on Thursday, July 31
Among the miners on site were 33 people who were trapped for 69 days in a separate mine in the Atacama Desert that collapsed in 2010One person is dead and five people remain trapped after a mine collapsed in Chile.
The mine collapsed after the U.S. Geological Survey recorded an earthquake near where the El Teniente mine is located, just after 5:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, July 31, according to The New York Times and The Associated Press.
The National Copper Corporation of Chile, also known as Codelco, said in a series of Spanish-language statements that one person, Paulo Marín Tapia, died after a 4.2 magnitude earthquake impacted the work site.
https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf
Nine people who were working on the Andesita project at the El Teniente mine sustained non-life-threatening injuries, while five more workers were trapped inside the mine, Codelco stated.
The five miners are still trapped as of Friday, Aug. 1, according to the latest release shared by Codelco.
At a press conference, El Teniente's General Manager Andres Music said, the tunnels inside the mine 'are closed' after they 'collapsed' following the earthquake, according to Reuters. 'There's no possibility of even radio communication," he added.
Additionally, Music said, aftershocks from the earthquake have made it impossible for rescuers to reach the trapped workers. He added the quake was 'one of the largest events — if not the largest — that the El Teniente mine has experienced in decades.'
'We are making every effort to try to rescue these five miners,' said Music, per the AP. 'The next 48 hours are crucial.'
Music said around 100 rescue workers were at El Teniente when the earthquake struck, according to the Times. Among them were 33 miners who were trapped for 69 days in a mine located in the Atacama Desert in 2010.
Union leader Amador Pantoja said copper extraction operations have stopped at El Teniente in the wake of the collapse, but noted that Codelco is still operating its concentrator and smelter, according to Reuters.
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The El Teniente mine is considered the world's largest underground copper operation, according to Mining.com. It has been operating since 1905, and spans over 4,500 kilometers (about 2,800 miles) of tunnels and underground galleries in the Andes Mountains.
Read the original article on People
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Baseless posts of stranded whales 'warning about Russian earthquake' spread online
Social media users have shared an old video of beached belugas falsely claiming they foreshadowed the massive earthquake that rattled Russia's sparsely populated Far East on July 30. The clip first circulated in news reports in August 2023, when the animals were stranded in Russia's far eastern Kamchatka region. "The animals have warned us -- but we couldn't understand," reads part of the Hindi-language post shared on X on the day. "Yesterday, five beluga whales washed ashore in Russia's Kamchatka, which was the epicentre of today's record-breaking 8.8 magnitude earthquake. Nature always knows first," it added. The post surfaced as an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's far-eastern Kamchatka region (archived link). Storm surges of up to four metres (12 feet) were predicted for some parts of the Pacific with more than a dozen nations -- from Japan to the United States to Ecuador -- evacuating citizens from coastal regions. The warnings were later lifted, allowing millions of temporary evacuees to return home, including in Kamchatka. The only reported fatality was a woman killed when her car fell off a cliff in Japan as she tried to escape, local media reported. The video was shared with similar claims on X and Facebook. A Google reverse image search using keyframes led to a longer, horizontally flipped version of the video uploaded to YouTube on August 13, 2023, with a title saying it shows residents of Kamchatka saving a family of belugas (archived link). The video contains superimposed text that refers to the Russian outlet Kamchatka Inform, which reported on August 13, 2023 that a family of beluga whales -- four adults and one calf -- were stranded at the mouth of the Tigil River during a strong low tide (archived here). The reports said all of them survived and managed to return to the sea on their own during high tide. While there are anecdotes of bizarre animal behaviour before seismic activities, there is no mechanism that can scientifically explain the connection, according to the United States Geological Survey (archived here). AFP has also debunked other false claims related to the Russian earthquake here.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Gas Line Workers in Peru Stumble Upon 1,000-Year-Old Pre-Incan Tomb in Lima
Key Takeaways: Utility workers in Lima accidentally unearthed two pre-Incan tombs, one of which contained 1,000-year-old human remains and Chancay culture artifacts. Archaeologist José Aliaga confirmed the tomb's connection to the ancient Chancay culture, citing the vessels' distinctive black, white, and red iconography. The burial posture, with the individual seated and bundled in fabric, reflects typical pre-Incan funerary traditions, dating between 1000 and 1470 A.D. Cálidda, the gas company overseeing the project, has documented over 2,200 archaeological discoveries during its infrastructure expansions, highlighting Lima's unique archaeological richness. Experts emphasize that Peru's coastal regions frequently reveal funerary artifacts, including tombs, burials, and mummified individuals, making such discoveries a recurring phenomenon. Utility workers digging trenches for new gas lines in Lima made a stunning discovery on Thursday: two pre-Incan tombs, including one containing human remains believed to be around 1,000 years old. Alongside the skeletal remains were four clay vessels decorated in black, white, and red, as well as three pumpkin shell artifacts. Construction Turns Into an Archaeological Discovery in Lima AP News reported that archaeologist José Aliaga identified the tomb as belonging to the ancient Chancay culture, which thrived in Peru between 1000 and 1470 A.D. The individual was found in a seated position, bundled in fabric, legs tucked against the chest — a burial posture typical of pre-Incan traditions. 'The vessels' iconography and colors allow us to establish a connection with the pre-Incan Chancay culture,' Aliaga explained. Lima: A City Built on Layers of History For Lima, discoveries like this are becoming routine. According to Cálidda, the gas company overseeing the trench work, this is just one of more than 2,200 archaeological finds they've made during two decades of infrastructure expansion. 'Lima is unique among Latin American capitals in that various archaeological finds are unearthed during nearly every civil project,' Aliaga said. With a population of 10 million, Lima sits atop more than 400 known archaeological sites, many of them predating the Inca Empire by centuries. From ancient burial grounds to ceremonial ruins, the city's layered history continues to reveal itself in unexpected ways. An Everyday Errand Turns Into a History Lesson For locals, the discovery offered an eye-opening moment. Passersby stopped to snap photos of the excavation site. Flor Prieto, who was walking with her daughter, expressed her surprise: 'I always thought they were paths where no one had lived. But now I know that people older than the Incas lived there. It feels so exciting.' Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru, noted that Lima's coast frequently yields funerary elements such as tombs and mummified remains. While not involved in this specific dig, he emphasized how common such finds are across the Line Workers in Peru Stumble Upon 1,000-Year-Old Pre-Incan Tomb in Lima first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 1, 2025
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Associated Press
A 5.7 quake strikes near the Dominican Republic hours after a smaller quake strikes Haiti
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic early Tuesday, jolting residents awake in the Caribbean country and in neighboring Puerto Rico. The quake occurred 24 miles (38 kilometers) southeast of Boca de Yuma at a depth of 104 miles (168 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No damage was reported. Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are located in a high seismic activity zone, given that the North American Plate and the northeast corner of the Caribbean Plate meet in that area. A 4.1 magnitude earthquake also struck near Haiti's capital late Monday at a depth of three miles (five kilometers), according to the country's civil protection agency. The quake was widely felt in Port-au-Prince and beyond. Officials said no damage was reported. Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, sits on the intersection of the North American plate and the Caribbean plate. In August 2021, a 7.2 quake struck Haiti, killing hundreds of people. It occurred along the same fault zone that unleashed a catastrophic 7.0 earthquake in January 2010 that killed hundreds of thousands of people.
