The Government will seek to apply harsh sanctions to those responsible for a huge sinkhole that occurred near a copper mine owned by Canada’s Lundin in the north of the country, the Mining Minister said on Monday. Marcela Hernando.
the mysterious hole of 36.5 meters of diameter that was generated at the end of July has provoked the mobilization of the authoritiesofs and led the mining regulator Sernageomin to suspendofr operations of a mine ofthe Can districtoflaria.
“Despite of that Sernageomin had carried out an inspection in July, was not able of ofdetect this overexploitation and, by Therefore, that also makes us think that we have to reformulate what our processes are of oversight,” the minister said, quoted in a statement.
So far, the authoritiesofs have not delivered ofsizes of investigation into the causes ofthe phenomenon.
“We are going to go to the ultimate consequences to sanction, not just fine bythat sometimes the State has very few tools and the fines are insignificant, but not only the fines, but the serious consequences that canof bring this to the mining company, they have to be exemplary,” he added.
The mining company said in a statement that the overexploitation to which the minister referred had been reported in her obytunity to the regulator.
“We want to be emphatic that, as reported by Sernageomin, this hypothesis has not been ofterminegives, to date, as the direct cause ofhe sinkhole. The hydrogeological and mining studies will provide the answers we are looking for today,” the company said.
“The different facts that could have caused the accident are being investigated. sinkholeamong which the abnormal rainfall recorded during the month becomes relevant of July,” added the unit of Lundin.
Local and foreign media have shown various aerial images ofhe huge hole in a field closenot to the operation of Lundin Mining, about 665 kilometers to the north of the capital Chilena.
The Canadian owns 80% of ownership, while the remaining 20% is in the hands of the Japanese Sumitomo Metal Mining and Sumitomo Corbyation.
