Chilean Copper Mines Halt Operations as Storms Hit Desert

Operations at some of the world's largest copper mines have been halted after northern Chile was hit by snowstorms, companies said Wednesday.

State-owned mining company Codelco said mining had halted at its Chuquicamata, Ministro Hales and Radomiro Tomic mines for safety reasons, although processing plants were operating normally.

Safety protocols have been implemented at its nearby Gabriela Mistral mine, the company said.

Antofagasta Minerals said it had partially halted operations at its copper mines i n the region.

Snow forced mining at Antofagasta's Zaldivar mine, which is 50% owned by Barrick Gold, while rain is causing difficulties at the Antucoya and Centinela mines, the company said.

"The situation is being evaluated minute by minute by the emergency committees at each of the mines," it said.

Workers at the BHP Billiton-controlled Escondida copper mine, the world's biggest, posted photos online of thick snow drifts at the open pit operation.

The mine only recently resumed normal operations in the wake of a 44-day strike by unionized employees in February and March.

Chilean emergency office ONEMI raised the alert level to red from yellow, noting that the precipitation, which began Tuesday, is set to continue into Wednesday afternoon.

The mayor of Antofagasta, the region's largest city, said the weather had been harsher than expected, with many roads closed as a result of flooding.

Chile's Antofagasta region is the heart of the country's mining industry and its mines produced more than 2 million mt of copper last year.

Northern Chile is home to the Atacama, the world's driest desert, which normally receives just a few millimeters of rain a year.

But freak rainstorms can cause significant damage when they strike.

Before the storm, Mines Minister Aurora Williams called on the industry to take preventative measures against the weather front and suggested workers at small-scale operations should stay home to minimize the risk.