SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chilean authorities started investigating on Monday a mysterious sinkhole about 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter that appeared over the weekend in a mining area in the north of the country.
Chilean media showed aerial images of the sinkhole on land operated by a Canadian Lundin Mining copper mine, about 665 kilometers (413 miles) north of the capital Santiago.
The National Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin) became aware of the sinkhole on Saturday and has sent specialist personnel to the area, the agency’s director David Montenegro said in a statement.
“There is a considerable distance, approximately 200 meters, 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 work site of Alcaparrosa mine, located near the sinkhole.
Lundin Mining did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lundin Mining owns 80% of the property and the rest is held by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation.
(Report by Fabián Andrés Cambero; Writing by Alexander Villegas; editing by Grant McCool)
