The incident occurred on July 31, 2025 at around 17:30 local time, when an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2–4.3 rocked the Andesita operations area at the El Teniente Mine complex, Rancagua, Chile. The tunnel collapse resulted in five people initially being declared trapped and one victim dying on the spot.
During the evacuation process, the body of the second victim was found, bringing the total number of fatalities to two. Meanwhile, four other miners have not yet been reached, even though rescue teams have opened more than 20 meters of a total of 90 meters of tunnel covered in rubble.
The rescue operation involved more than 100 personnel, including experts who had previously handled major mining incidents such as San José 2010. Heavy equipment and underground monitoring technology were used intensively, but unstable structural conditions and confined spaces were the main challenges.
El Teniente itself is the largest underground copper mine in the world, operating since the early 20th century, and is now managed by Codelco, Chile’s state-owned mining company. The mine accounts for a large share of national and world copper production, making it a vital national object of Chile.
As a result of this incident, Codelco temporarily suspended operations at the affected units and postponed the release of its first semester financial report, while fully committing to worker safety and rescue efforts.
Source: Al Jazeera, Kompas, Bloomberg, CNBC Indonesia and Reuters
Source: www.minercomedia.com
