Ferrocarril Antofagasta Bolivia (FCAB), a Chilean transport company, suspended the transit of copper cathodes as a result of the repeated thefts registered in the Antofagasta region.
During the day of last Saturday, October 8, there were 2 consecutive robberies, where a group of criminals stole the material valued at almost $600 million. The situation has generated concern among transporters and copper workers, who will not carry out transfers until they have the necessary security guarantees.
In a conversation with Radio Bio Bío, the regional governor of Antofagasta, Ricardo Díaz, maintained that “today, with the closure of railway transport, 80% of copper production is stopping, and that means losing income for more of $2,500. The people of this region can no longer put up with this inability to make concrete decisions.”
For his part, the deputy for the Antofagasta region, Sebastián Videla, was more emphatic, and called for a State of Exception to be declared in the area.
“We are tired of these types of events, where there is violence, where criminals act with impunity; therefore, we need concrete actions, and this tremendously affects the economy of our country. The Government must do something urgently, and during President Boric’s visit it is an issue to be discussed and resolved”.