Electrical accident at Chile's El Teniente copper mine leaves one dead
Reuters
Published Jun 29, 2023 20:41
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - An electrical accident at Codelco's El Teniente mine in central Chile, the company's largest copper mine, left one dead, the state-owned mining giant said in a statement on Thursday.
Codelco said the accident happened at the mine's Andes Norte expansion project at about 3 p.m. (1900 GMT) when Osvaldo Bustamante Frias, a 29-year-old electrical technician, suffered an electric discharge during the installation of a generator.
The company said work in the area was immediately halted and started an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
State-owned Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said the technician was employed by German construction firm Zublin, which had been contracted to work on the Andes Norte project.
Chile's mining regulator announced the death earlier on Thursday and said its national director had been dispatched to the site to begin an investigation.
Last July, Codelco reported two separate, fatal accidents that prompted it to temporarily halt some mining projects.
"The company reiterates its call to improve safety as an essential aspect of any work we carry out," Codelco said in a statement, urging those who work on its facilities to respect safety standards and protocols.
Parts of El Teniente's mining operations had been halted recently due to recent torrential rainfall, but underground operations and work on the Andes Norte project continued.
The mine produced 405,429 metric tons of copper in 2022.
Get The App
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.