A worker has died in an accident at Codelco’s Radomiro Tomic copper mine in northern Chile, according to the country’s mining regulator.
Preliminary information indicates the accident occurred in an area associated with a conveyor belt at the mine near Calama, Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) said.
Chile’s National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin) was notified and sent personnel to the operation to inspect the site and take appropriate administrative measures.
The authorities have not released the worker’s identity or employer, while the circumstances and cause of the accident remain under investigation. Senapred said no other emergencies were reported in connection with the incident.
Safety scrutiny
The death adds to a series of fatal accidents at major Chilean copper operations in recent months, putting renewed attention on safety in the world’s largest copper-producing country.
A worker died Sept. 26 while carrying out maintenance at BHP’s (ASX, LON: BHP) Escondida mine.
Codelco suffered an even more serious accident on July 31, 2025, when six workers were killed at its El Teniente operation, the world’s largest underground copper mine. The accident forced the state-owned miner to halt production across several areas while authorities investigated.
Radomiro Tomic is one of the operations underpinning Codelco’s copper production in northern Chile. Authorities have yet to establish what led to the latest fatality or clarify the role of the conveyor belt cited in preliminary reports.
Codelco and the relevant authorities are expected to provide further information as the investigation progresses.
(Developing story. More to come.)
Source: https://www.mining.com/worker-dies-in-accident-at-codelcos-radomiro-tomic/
