Chilean authorities this week began investigating a mysterious sinkhole of about 25 meters in diameter that appeared over the weekend yellow eartha mining area in the north of the country.
Aerial images circulated on social networks of the sinkhole on land operated by a Canadian copper mine Lundin Mining about 665 kilometers north of the capital Santiago.
The National Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin) noticed the sinkhole on Saturday and dispatched specialized personnel to the areareported in a statement the director of the agency, David Montenegro.
“There is a considerable distance, approximately 200 meters, to the bottom,” Montenegro said. “We have not detected any material down there, but we have seen the presence of much water“.
Sernageomin reported the closure of areas from the entrance to the work site of the Alcaparrosa mine, located near the sinkhole.
UNDERMINE! Closing was instructed from the accesses to the work located vertically to the sinkhole. Level 270, closing distance at 286 meters. Level 200, closing distance at 538 meters. Distance from the sinkhole on the surface to level 270: 200 meters. pic.twitter.com/QbdntXjo1T
— Sernageomin (@Sernageomin) August 1, 2022
In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Lundin Mining said the sinkhole it did not affect any workers or members of the community.
“The nearest home is more than 600 meters (1,969 feet) away while any populated area or public service is almost a kilometer away from the affected area,” the statement read.
Reference-aristeguinoticias.com
