The remains of four of the five miners trapped after a collapse in a section of one of Chile’s largest copper mines have been recovered and identified, according to an official announcement.
Andres Music, the mine director, stated that rescue teams at the El Teniente mine, located approximately 60 miles south of Santiago, are continuing their search for the fifth miner, identified as Moises Pavez.
GPS devices aided in locating the trapped miners. However, rescue personnel were required to drill through several dozen yards of rock to reach them.
The mine section collapsed following a 4.2 magnitude earthquake on Thursday, resulting in the death of one worker and injuries to nine others.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the tremor, looking into whether it was a naturally occurring earthquake or if mining activity within El Teniente triggered the event.
Chilean prosecutors have also initiated a criminal investigation to ascertain if any safety regulations were breached.
El Teniente, situated in the Andes mountains of central Chile, is the world’s largest underground copper mine and is owned by the Chilean state-owned company, Codelco.
Following the collapse on Thursday, Codelco immediately suspended operations in the affected area and evacuated 3,000 workers from the broader mine site to secure locations.
The company postponed the presentation of its first-half financial results, scheduled for Friday morning, to focus on the ongoing rescue operations.
Chile, the world’s leading copper producer, is located within the seismically active Ring of Fire encompassing the Pacific Ocean’s coastlines.
