Rescue teams in Chile are continuing efforts to rescue five workers trapped inside the world’s largest copper mine, which partially collapsed following an earthquake, killing one worker and halting production.
At least 100 people are taking part in the search for the workers, more than 18 hours after the incident.
The trapped workers were operating at a depth of more than 900 meters when the collapse occurred, and that their exact location has been identified using specialized equipment.
In a related development, Minister of Mining Aurora Williams announced a temporary suspension of operations at the mine, which began operating in the early 20th century and contains more than 4,500 kilometers of underground tunnels.
She explained that the collapse occurred after an earthquake on Thursday, though it is not yet clear whether it was caused by natural seismic activity or mining operations. She added that the search team for the five trapped workers includes rescuers who successfully freed 33 miners trapped for more than two months in a mine in the Atacama Desert in 2010, which drew global media attention at the time.