Chile's El Teniente mine partially suspends operations after fatal landslide

SANTIAGO, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Chilean ‌state miner ​Codelco ​partially suspended operations at its El Teniente mine on Sunday after a landslide left two workers ‌dead while one survived, according to SERNAGEOMIN, the ⁠South American country's mining regulator.

The agency said in a post on X ‌that shortly before 2:00 ‌p.m. local time (1700 GMT), a landslide struck three workers from contractor Aura Ingeniería SA while they were inspecting the ​south pit sector. One worker was rescued, while the other two, who had been trapped, were later found ⁠dead.

"Operations in the south pit sector of the mining operation will be suspended," ​SERNAGEOMIN said.

Codelco, one of the world's largest copper producers, later issued a statement expressing its condolences ​for the deaths and said Chile's ‌investigative police and the Public Prosecutor's Office were at the site carrying out the necessary ⁠procedures to help determine the circumstances of the accident.

The company said heavy rainfall in central Chile had triggered the landslide at ⁠the mine's open-pit operation.

"Actions aimed at safeguarding the well-being of the ​three workers who were in the area at the time of the incident were immediately activated," it said in a statement.

El Teniente, which ‌has been operating for more than a century, contains more than 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) of ‌tunnels and underground galleries in the Andes Mountains, about 75 ⁠km southeast of Santiago, ‌the capital.

(Reporting by Fabian ​Cambero in Santiago; Writing by Sarah Kinosian in Mexico City; Editing by Paul Simao and Thomas ‌Derpinghaus)

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