Barrick Mining (TSX:ABX) says it has safely evacuated workers stranded at its Barriales camp in northern Chile due to severe winter conditions.
The miner’s Chilean subsidiary confirmed in a statement over the weekend that all workers who remained at the Barriales site “were transferred safely and are in good health.”
Barrick said rescue efforts began on Friday 25 July but were temporarily halted by poor weather before conditions improved enough for operations to resume the following day.
Chile’s Economy and Mining Minister Daniel Mas also confirmed the successful evacuation in a post on X.
Meanwhile, three workers remain at the company’s nearby Potrerillos camp while crews work to reopen blocked roads. Barrick said the workers have access to electricity, water, and food, and are safe and in good health.
Barrick had previously said it was unable to evacuate workers because conditions made helicopter operations unsafe, while heavy snowfall and flooding blocked access roads to the high-altitude camps.
The powerful winter storm, described as one of Chile’s worst in years, has so far killed more than a dozen people and left up to 60,000 people isolated.
Anticipating the severe weather, many mining companies had introduced precautionary restrictions, with some opting to suspend operations until conditions improved.
Write to Jackson Chen at Mining.com.au
Image: Barrick Chile
