Chilean media showed aerial images of the sinkhole on land operated by a copper mine of Canada’s Lundin Mining ( LUN.TO ), about 665 kilometers (413 miles) north of the capital Santiago. The National Geology and Mines Agency (Sernageomin) was informed of the sinkhole on Saturday and sent specialist personnel to the area, agency director David Montenegro said in a statement. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “There is a considerable distance, about 200 meters (656 feet), to the bottom,” Montenegro said. “We haven’t detected any material down there, but we have seen the presence of a lot of water.” Sernageomin reported the closure of areas from the entrance to the Alcaparrosa mine site, located near the sinkhole. In a statement released Monday afternoon, Lundin Mining said the sinkhole did not affect any workers or community members. “The nearest house is more than 600 meters (1,969 feet) away while any residential area or public service is almost a kilometer away from the affected zone,” the statement said. Lundin Mining owns 80% of the property and the rest is owned by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Exhibition by Fabián Andrés Cambero. Alexander Villegas writes. editing by Grant McCool, Sandra Maler and Sam Holmes Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
