Rescuers in Chile are racing to find the last two workers trapped in a mine after an earthquake.
The state-owned Codelco company announced on Sunday that four workers were now known to have died since the collapse of its El Teniente mine, about 70km south-east of the capital Santiago.
In its latest statement, Codelco said its priority was recovering the two miners still missing. It added that rescue teams had cleared 24 meters of blocked passages at the mine.
The collapse of some of the mine’s underground tunnels was caused by a 4.2 magnitude tremor on Thursday. Miners had been working deep below the surface.
One person had been reported killed after the earthquake, with five others trapped in the mine.
Codelco has named two of the victims – Paulo Marín and Gonzalo Núñez Caroca – but said the others were yet to be identified “by the relevant authorities”.
“We share the anguish this situation causes their families and the entire community,” the copper mining company said.
Rescue teams have been using heavy machinery in an effort to clear the blocked passageways to try to reach the miners.
El Teniente is the world’s largest underground copper mine. It is located high in the Andes mountains in central Chile.
Authorities have said they are investigating whether the cause of the earthquake was mining activity or natural tectonic shifts.
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