World's largest copper mine halts operations after worker death

Operations ​at the world's largest ‌copper ​mine, BHP's Escondida mine in Chile, were suspended on Wednesday after ‌a worker was killed in an accident, the firm said.

BHP said the worker had been killed while carrying out maintenance ‌work. The union representing the site had previously told ‌Reuters that the accident involved a front-end loader frequently used by the industry. "All operational activities at the mine have been suspended," ⁠BHP ​said in ⁠a statement, without giving a timeline for when they may restart.

Typically ⁠in Chile, mines may only kick off activities ​after a fatal incident once inspectors verify that conditions ⁠are safe enough for a restart. Escondida is located in Chile's Atacama ⁠Desert. ​BHP operates the mine, while Rio Tinto holds a 30% stake and Japan-based JECO Corp 12.5%.

BHP had ⁠estimated the site would produce up to 1.28 million metric ⁠tons ⁠of the red metal this year.