Chilean mining company Codelco has officially concluded rescue efforts at its El Teniente Division following the tragic loss of six workers due to a recent earthquake-induced collapse.
The state-owned company has expressed its condolences and is initiating an international investigation into the incident.
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During a press conference, El Teniente general manager Andrés Music confirmed the end of the search operations.
“Today we conclude this rescue phase with the fifth of our colleagues at Teniente 7. From day one, we committed to doing everything humanly possible. It wasn’t the outcome I expected, but we managed to reach them and bring them back with the respect and dignity they deserve,” Music stated.
Codelco’s board chairman Máximo Pacheco said: “A key investigation begins now. We will commission an international audit with the best experts to determine what we did wrong. We owe it to the workers’ families, to those who work at Codelco, and to all of Chile.”
The company has transitioned from the emergency phase and is now focusing on supporting the bereaved families and enhancing safety protocols.
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By GlobalDataCodelco vice-president of people management Mary Carmen Llano said: “This stage doesn’t end with the rescue. Now a new path begins: learning from this tragedy, supporting the families and strengthening our safety culture. We have created a meeting space with psychological and social support, which we will maintain for as long as necessary.”
Codelco first informed the miners’ families about the discovery of one body on Saturday, during the ongoing rescue efforts.
Music provided an update on Sunday, confirming the recovery of four miners and the continued search for the fifth. “During the early hours of the morning, three additional bodies were recovered, in addition to those found the day before,” he said.
In a different development, the International Chamber of Commerce has ordered Ecuador to pay Codelco $25m (24.16bn pesos) over disputes concerning the Llurimagua mining project.
This amount is a fraction of the original $567.7m claim by Codelco. The agreement to jointly develop Llurimagua was made in 2016 between Codelco and Enami EP, Ecuador’s state miner.
