SANTIAGO – Chilean prosecutors executed search warrants Thursday at the residences of two former high-ranking officials from the state-owned mining company Codelco, as investigators continue examining a fatal mine collapse that occurred last year at the El Teniente facility.
During the operations, authorities confiscated electronic devices from former Chief Operations Officer Mauricio Barraza and ex-mine manager Claudio Sougarret, according to a statement released by Chile’s prosecutor’s office.
The searches extended to Codelco’s corporate facilities, where company officials voluntarily provided additional equipment to investigators. The mining company has refused to provide public comment regarding the ongoing investigation.
Prosecutors revealed that materials connected to Rodrigo Andrades, who previously served as El Teniente’s projects manager, had been collected during a separate operation in October.
All three former executives lost their positions last week following the completion of an internal company review that uncovered irregularities connected to a 2023 rock explosion at El Teniente. The audit specifically identified problems with subsequent safety reports submitted to Sernageomin, Chile’s mining regulatory agency.
Earlier this week, Sernageomin announced plans to submit official complaints to authorities regarding the matter.
The El Teniente mine was the location of a catastrophic collapse in the previous year that resulted in six fatalities.
