Work was paused Friday at Chile鈥檚 El Teniente underground copper mine, the largest in the world, amid a search for five miners missing after a partial cave-in, the country鈥檚 mining minister said.
One miner was killed after the mine 鈥� which produces nearly seven per cent of Chile鈥檚 copper, or more than 3,50,000 tonnes last year 鈥� partly collapsed Thursday after a magnitude 4.2 earthquake.
Nine others were injured, none critically.
鈥榃e are going to issue a provisional measure to halt operations in the underground sections of El Teniente,鈥� minister Aurora Williams told reporters Friday.
El Teniente is聽located in the city of Rancagua, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Chilean capital Santiago.
Chile is responsible for nearly a quarter of global copper supply, which contributes 10 to 15 per cent to its GDP.
The valuable metal is used in wiring, motors and renewable energy generation.
