Mysterious sinkhole leaves Chilean officials puzzled

CHILE: Chilean authorities started investigating on Monday a mysterious sinkhole about 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter that appeared over the weekend in a mining area in the north of the country.

Chilean media showed aerial images of the sinkhole on land operated by a Canadian Lundin Mining copper mine, about 665 kilometers (413 miles) north of capital Santiago.

The National Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin) became aware of the sinkhole on Saturday and has sent specialist personnel to the area, the agency’s director David Montenegro said in a statement.

“There is a considerable distance, approximately 200 metres (656 feet), to the bottom,” Montenegro said. “We haven’t detected any material down there, but we have seen the presence of a lot of water.”

“The closest home is more than 600 metres (1,969 feet) away while any populated area or public service are almost a kilometre away from the affected zone,” the statement read.

– NDTV