SANTIAGO — Chile’s state-owned copper giant Codelco has dismissed three senior executives tied to its El Teniente division following an internal audit that uncovered serious breaches of duty related to safety reporting and past incidents at the world’s largest underground copper mine.
The internal review, initiated after a rock explosion in 2023 and the deadly mine collapse in July 2025 that killed workers and disrupted operations, found inconsistencies in technical reports submitted to Chile’s mining regulator Sernageomin. As a result, Codelco removed its Chief Operations Officer Mauricio Barraza, El Teniente division head Claudio Sougarret, and projects manager Rodrigo Andrades from their posts effective immediately.
Barraza will be succeeded by Lindor Quiroga, while Gustavo Reyes steps in as the new head of El Teniente. Additionally, Claudio Canut has been named interim head of Codelco’s Andina division, the company said. It described the moves as part of a broader reorganization intended to strengthen governance and oversight at El Teniente and across the firm.
Codelco’s board announced plans to implement “unalterable digital signatures” on technical reports to enhance transparency and said it would hand over audit findings to Chile’s public prosecutor for further review.
The shake-up underscores ongoing challenges at El Teniente, where production has been constrained in the aftermath of last year’s fatal accident, with output expected to remain lower for several years.