Barrick workers rescued from major snow storm in Chilean mountains
This is the latest among many historical safety incidents near Pascua-Lama
Rowan Dunne
In Chile’s remote Andean mining camps, sudden storms can swiftly isolate workers and expose the limits of even the best-laid emergency plans.
Barrick Mining Corp‘s TSEABX NYSEB ETRABR0 Chilean subsidiary recently demonstrated effective crisis response when it evacuated staff trapped by severe weather at a high-altitude site. Teams safely removed all 39 workers from the Barriales camp linked to the Pascua-Lama project in the Atacama Region.
Operations began on Friday with four helicopter flights that brought out 16 workers. Crews resumed the following day and completed the evacuation of the remaining 23 on Saturday. Authorities confirmed all arrived in good health. Three additional workers at the nearby Potrerillos camp remained in place temporarily, supported by adequate supplies of electricity, water and food while roads were cleared.
The workers had endured up to 12 days of heavy snow up to 7.5 metres deep and temperatures as low as -20°C.
“We are pleased that our workers and those of the contractor companies are back with their families, safe and sound, after days that we know were difficult due to the extraordinary weather conditions and the uncertainty regarding the exact date of their return,” Barrick Chile said in a statement.
Tras el sistema frontal que afectó a la comuna de Alto del Carmen, en la región de Atacama, este viernes se concretó el rescate de 16 trabajadores aislados en un sector del proyecto minero Pascua Lama, dependiente de la empresa Barrick Chile.
Read more: Strategic U.S. antimony resource emerges in NevGold’s Nevada MRE
Pascua-Lama: current status, history and safety record
The Pascua-Lama operation stands in permanent closure on the Chilean side.
The binational gold and silver project once represented one of the largest undeveloped deposits in the Americas but faced repeated environmental violations, particularly damage to glaciers and high-altitude water systems. Chilean courts ordered its definitive shutdown, with Barrick now focused on site remediation and limited nearby exploration.
Teams working in the area have faced safety issues in both recent and past years. Historical records show several fatal accidents during earlier exploration and development phases, including a 1994 vehicle rollover that killed four workers, a 2000 event in which five workers froze to death after their vehicle became trapped in the mountains and a 2008 helicopter crash.
These incidents, alongside environmental challenges, have helped shape stricter protocols at high-altitude operations.
Mining in the Chilean Andes
Precious metal and copper mining continue to dominate industry activity across the Chilean Andes.
Barrick works in a region populated by peers such as Gold Fields Ltd NYSEGFI FRAEDGA, Pan American Silver Corp TSEPAAS NYSEPAAS FRAPA2 and Rio2 Ltd (TSE: RIO) (OTCMKTS: RIOFF) (FRA: 1SB), whose Fenix Gold project lies in the same Atacama belt. Shared infrastructure and operational knowledge help these companies address the common challenges of extreme terrain and variable weather.
The successful rescue highlights both the risks and improving response capabilities in one of the world’s most demanding mining environments.
Read more: NevGold Corp. reports antimony grades up to 53.7 per cent at Nevada project
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