Two workers died after a snow avalanche struck Codelco’s giant El Teniente mine, as wild weather continues to batter Chile and compound setbacks for the biggest copper-producing country.
The two subcontractor employees, who had been carrying out inspections in the mine’s open-pit area, were found dead Sunday after initially being reported missing, the state-owned company said in a statement.
The open pit remained halted Monday, while other parts of El Teniente, including its sprawling underground operations and processing plants, were running normally, according to Amador Pantoja, head of a workers’ union at the mine. The open pit accounts for less than 10% of the mine’s total production.
The fatalities are the latest consequence of bouts of severe weather that have hit Chile in recent months, disrupting mines and infrastructure. Heavy rain and storms have contributed to a drop in copper output, while flooding and debris flows have also caused damage in the capital Santiago.
Open-pit operations at El Teniente had already been halted because of bad weather when the avalanche of snow, rock and mud struck. Investigative police and prosecutors were at the site carrying out inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
“The life and physical safety of our workers are non-negotiable values that must take precedence over any production target or operational continuity,” Economy and Mining Minister Daniel Mas said in a statement.
Weather-related disruptions are adding to operational setbacks, accidents and declining ore quality that have weighed on copper production in Chile. Labor tensions are also adding to supply risks, with workers on strike at Antofagasta Plc’s Centinela mine and a separate wage dispute at BHP Group’s Escondida.
The blows come as the copper market grapples with constrained mine supply, trade dislocations and growing demand. Copper surged to a record near $15,000 a metric ton last month, with some analysts forecasting further gains. Futures rose as much as 1% Monday.
El Teniente, Codelco’s largest operation, was the site of a rock burst in July 2025 that killed six workers and disrupted production. Earlier this month, a worker died at the Santiago-based miner’s Radomiro Tomic mine, just over a week after a separate fatal accident at Escondida.
The latest fatalities come as Codelco grapples with a prolonged slump in output that’s contributed to a broader decline in Chilean copper production. While the previous administration sought to restore production, the new leadership under Chairman Bernardo Fontaine is looking to consolidate output around current levels while prioritizing value over volume.
The recent disruptions also offer a glimpse of the risks facing South American copper mines in the months ahead as El Niño develops, potentially bringing heavier rainfall and flooding to key producing regions in Chile and Peru.
(By James Attwood)
