A mudslide struck Codelco’s El Teniente division near ADIT 42 in the El Rajo sector on Sunday, trapping two workers in a vehicle; a third worker escaped and was taken to a health center, the company said. Rescue teams have located the trapped workers but have not disclosed their condition, and the cause of the slide is unspecified, though the company noted unusual spring rains tied to El Nino across central Chile this month. El Teniente is the world’s largest underground copper mine with 4,500 kilometers of tunnels, and the accident follows a July 2025 collapse that killed six workers and a February raid on Codelco offices over related safety investigations.
Mudslide traps two workers at Codelco's El Teniente mine
Two Codelco workers are trapped after a mudslide hit the El Teniente division in Machali, Chile, on Sunday; a third worker escaped and was taken to a health center.
Why it matters: El Teniente is the world's largest underground copper mine, and the accident follows a deadly July 2025 collapse and recent shutdowns that have already flagged Chile's copper output as at risk.
Data as of Sunday, October 11, 2026; the El Pais article was read in full (in Spanish) and independently confirms the Investing.com item; both describe the same incident.
Sources
- Un alud deja atrapados a dos trabajadores en la mina El Teniente de Codelco · El Pais (Spanish) · 2026-10-11
- Chile's Codelco reports mudslide at El Teniente mine; three workers affected · Investing.com · 2026-10-11