The Chamber of Deputies' Mining Committee will send formal requests to Codelco, Sernageomin and other agencies over the deaths of two workers at the El Teniente mine in the O'Higgins Region, according to Diario Financiero. Both workers were contractors and died this weekend.
Sernageomin is the National Geology and Mining Service, the state agency that oversees safety at mining operations across the country. Codelco, the National Copper Corporation, is the state-owned company that owns El Teniente.
Socialist Deputy Antonio Rivas, a member of the committee, confirmed that they will request detailed reports. In addition to Codelco and Sernageomin, the request covers the Labor Directorate and mutual insurance associations, the entities that administer workplace accident insurance.
The review will extend beyond this case. According to the deputy, 12 fatal incidents have been recorded in mining so far in 2026. "We will demand clarification of not only this incident, but all the incidents that have caused the deaths of many mining workers," Rivas said.
At El Teniente, criticism centers on the weather conditions in which the contractor's workers were operating at the time of the accident. Rivas questioned those who commissioned the work, meaning those who hired the workers and directed their tasks. In his view, sending workers into high-risk areas during a storm is "absolutely inappropriate."
The source does not specify which contractor employed the deceased or the status of Codelco's internal investigations.
Regarding the consequences, Rivas announced that the committee will seek "the harshest penalty" if negligence is established. According to Diario Financiero, the findings could lead to the companies responsible being barred from providing services to public and private companies. The next step is to send the formal requests, whose responses will determine the extent of responsibility.
