BHP suspends activities at Escondida mine after maintenance accident
2026-09-24
BHP has announced the immediate suspension of all activities at its Escondida copper mine in northern Chile, the world's largest copper producer, following a fatal accident during maintenance work on September 24, 2026. The incident, which involved a front-end loader and resulted in the death of an employee, triggers mandatory regulatory pauses for safety inspections, casting uncertainty on the restart timeline for this critical global copper supply source. The suspension comes just months after the mine secured an environmental permit for a significant $14.7 billion expansion project.
