Codelco Seeks Partial Restart at El Teniente Mine After Fatal Collapse

Chile’s state-owned copper giant Codelco is seeking approval to restart parts of its flagship El Teniente mine less than a week after a deadly collapse killed six workers and forced a full suspension of operations, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The accident, triggered by a 4.2-magnitude seismic event last Thursday (July 31), halted production at the world’s largest underground copper mine.

Codelco has formally requested Chile’s National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin) to allow a partial reopening of the mine, pending approval of safety and technical evaluations, two sources told Reuters.

The cave-in, which was triggered by the earthquake, occurred more than 900 meters underground and initially trapped five miners.

Their bodies were recovered over several days by a rescue team of more than 100 people, including veterans of Chile’s 2010 San José mine rescue. The body of a sixth miner, who was killed at the time of the collapse, was recovered earlier.

“We deeply regret this outcome,” said O’Higgins Region Prosecutor Aquiles Cubillo on Sunday, confirming the final recovery. He offered no additional details on the cause of the collapse, which remains under investigation.

Operations at El Teniente were formally suspended by Sernageomin, Chile’s geology and mining agency, shortly after the incident.

It also instructed Codelco to submit four comprehensive technical reports before any restart can be authorized. The reports must include: an analysis of the collapse’s cause, a recovery plan, an assessment of current fortification systems, and a wider structural evaluation.

While underground mining has stopped, Codelco has maintained limited activity at El Teniente. The company is conducting ongoing maintenance at the processing plant and smelter, including operations at the smelter’s anode furnaces every two hours to keep critical equipment in operable condition.

Codelco said it had responded to three separate information requests from Sernageomin and Chile’s Labor Inspectorate, but added that it could not yet estimate the financial or operational impact of the suspension.