Chile fines Codelco, contractors after deadly El Teniente mine collapse

Labor authorities have fined Chilean state copper giant Codelco and three contractors after the deadly collapse at the El Teniente mine, with the contractors hit more heavily than the company that runs the world’s largest underground copper mine.

The three contractors were fined about $87,000 combined, while Codelco’s penalty was roughly $20,000. The unequal sanctions pointed to a broader safety review that went beyond the immediate collapse and into whether the companies had workable procedures for responding to seismic warnings and deciding when underground work had to stop.

The collapse occurred at about 5:34 p.m. on July 31, 2025, after a seismic event struck the Andesita project area of El Teniente, Codelco said. Paulo Marín Tapia, who worked for Salfa Montajes, died in the accident. Codelco reported nine injured workers and five others who were initially missing as emergency crews searched the site.

Investigators focused on whether the companies had the paperwork and controls needed for a mine where geological risk is constant and conditions can change in seconds. One central failure was the absence of a complete written procedure showing how seismic alerts should be used to determine whether work should be stopped or restricted. In a mine of El Teniente’s scale and complexity, that gap mattered because a delayed decision can cost lives.

The fallout has continued well beyond the initial disaster. By August 29, 2025, Codelco said operations at Recursos Norte and Andesita were still halted, more than 24,000 workers and associates had taken part in reflection, support and training sessions, and the company had processed 52 requests from supervisory and investigative authorities.

The scrutiny widened again in February 2026, when Sernageomin said it was acting over alleged inconsistencies in technical information from Codelco tied to a July 2023 rock-burst incident. The agency said it carried out a major on-site inspection with 15 experts and filed complaints with the Public Ministry and the Comptroller General. In another sign of the pressure building around the mine, Codelco removed three senior executives linked to El Teniente after an internal audit found serious breaches of duty tied to a prior accident there.

For Chile, the sanctions are more than a bookkeeping exercise. They reinforce that at a flagship state company built on copper exports, safety failures can trigger not only tragedy but a widening regulatory reckoning over contractor oversight, technical reporting and the duty to stop work when the ground turns dangerous.