On Friday, heavy rains flooded rivers, blocked roads and even forced Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, to halt some of its mining operations.
Codelco said in an emailed response to questions that work at its Andina mine has been suspended for now. It said that although the company had "pre-emptively halted operations at the mine and Sewell", the underground mine at El Teniente continued to operate.
Separately, Anglo American said on Friday that its Los Bronces copper mine was operating normally despite snow in the region.
Parts of central and southern Chile have been battered by heavy rains, closing schools and roads and raising fears of mudslides. The Aguas Andinas water company, which supplies much of the capital Santiago, halted operations at some of its treatment plants due to high sediment levels. Deputy Interior Minister Manuel Monsalve said Chile had reserves to meet Santiago's needs for the next 24 hours, according to El Mercurio newspaper.
The government also ordered the evacuation of some urban areas near riverbanks. The governor of the Santiago metropolitan area, Claudio Orrego, called on people to conserve water "responsibly."
