Chile’s state mining company shut one of its largest copper mines on Thursday after a partial collapse killed at least one person. Rescuers were searching for five others on Saturday.
The National Copper Corporation of Chile, known as Codelco, said a “seismic event” on Thursday afternoon caused the accident. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 5 earthquake 17 miles northeast of Machali, where El Teniente mine is, at 5:34 p.m. local time.
In a statement, Codelco said Paulo Marín Tapia was killed while working on the Andesita project, which is part of an expansion of El Teniente mine.
On Saturday morning, rescue teams were still searching for the five missing workers.
Andrés Music, El Teniente’s general manager, said at a news conference on Friday morning that the company knew “exactly where they are,” although he said that officials had not yet been able to communicate with the workers.
The area experienced aftershocks for hours after the initial quake, complicating rescue efforts, Mr. Music said. But he said he hoped the aftershocks would begin to fade, allowing more robust rescue operations. The next 48 hours would most likely be “key to the rescue,” he said.
In a statement on Friday evening, Rubén Alvarado, the chief executive of Codelco, said that rescuer workers had excavated nearly 13 feet of material in the tunnel where the people are believed to be trapped. That represents about a fifth of the 65 feet needed to reach them.
Mr. Music said that 100 rescue workers were involved in the operation at El Teniente. Some of those rescuers, he said, helped free 33 miners who were trapped for 69 days in the Atacama Desert in 2010, and whose survival drew worldwide attention.
Nine others were injured in the collapse at El Teniente, according to Codelco. Operations at the mine were immediately suspended after the collapse, Codelco said.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
Jonathan Wolfe is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news.
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