Moises Pavez and four other miners died in a fatal collapse at Chile’s El Teniente mine.
The death of Moises Pavez and the other four miners, who were trapped underground for three days, was caused by the mine’s collapse.
Chilean authorities announced on Sunday that the five miners, who had been missing since Thursday, have now been located. Rescue teams reached the trapped workers by drilling through rock.
The chief prosecutor expressed deep regret over the outcome of the rescue operation.
The five miners were caught inside Chile’s El Teniente mine after a section collapsed on Thursday. This collapse happened following a 4.2 magnitude earthquake that also killed one miner instantly and injured nine others.
The miners’ locations were determined using GPS, but rescue efforts did not manage to reach them initially.
Investigators are examining the cause of the earthquake, questioning whether it was natural or triggered by mining activity at El Teniente. Chilean prosecutors have opened a criminal probe to assess if safety rules were broken.
El Teniente, situated in the Andes mountains, is the world’s largest underground copper mine, operated by the state-owned company Codelco.
Following the collapse, Codelco stopped operations in the affected area and moved 3,000 people to safety. The company also canceled a scheduled financial presentation due to the incident.
Chile, a major copper producer located in the seismically active Ring of Fire, experienced a similar dramatic rescue in 2010 when 33 miners were saved after being trapped for two months. That event was later featured in a Hollywood film.
