Chile Copper Mine Damage Worse Than First Thought, Inspection Shows

Damage from last week’s collapse at Codelco’s biggest copper mine appears to be worse than first thought and extends to a section of the giant underground complex that was in full production.

Inspections have shown damage to 3,700 meters (12,000 feet) of tunnel at the El Teniente mine in Chile, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. That would be five times more than initial calculations of 300 meters with severe damage and another 400 meters with moderate damage given by the state-owned company.