Giant sinkhole in Chilean mining town haunts residents, three years on

A Chilean court has ordered Lundin Mining’s subsidiary to refill a massive sinkhole and restore water systems in Tierra Amarilla, three years after the collapse near its Alcaparrosa copper mine.

Residents of Tierra Amarilla, a small mining town in Chile’s Atacama Desert, are cautiously hopeful after a new court ruling ordered Lundin Mining’s subsidiary to repair environmental damage linked to a massive sinkhole that appeared more than three years ago — and remains open to this day.

Court orders environmental repair and refilling of the crater

Earlier this month, Chile’s Environmental Court ordered Minera Ojos del Salado, owned by Canada’s Lundin Mining, to implement a series of remediation measures at its Alcaparrosa copper mine, which is believed to have caused the sinkhole in 2022.

The ruling requires the company to protect the local water supply and refill the crater, which originally measured 64 meters (210 feet) deep and 32 meters (105 feet) wide. The gaping hole, still visible from space, became a symbol of the tensions between mining activity and environmental safety in one of the world’s driest regions.

“This is detrimental to an area that is already hydrologically stressed,” said Rodrigo Sáez, Chile’s regional water director, noting that the collapse was tied to the draining of a local aquifer into the mine, weakening the rock structure beneath Tierra Amarilla.

Local fears persist amid dust and tremors

For residents living near the site, the court decision offers relief but not closure. “Ever since the sinkhole occurred, we’ve lived in fear,” said Rudy Alfaro, who lives just 800 meters from the edge of the crater. Nearby are a health center and a preschool, both seen as vulnerable should the sinkhole expand.

“We were afraid it would get bigger, that it would move toward the houses,” she said, adding that a recent earthquake stirred up dust from the hole, reigniting anxiety in the community.

The court also upheld an earlier shutdown order for the Alcaparrosa mine issued by Chile’s environmental regulator (SMA) in January, citing irreversible damage to the aquifer and structural instability.

Company pledges to comply with ruling

In a statement, Lundin Mining said it would work closely with authorities to “implement remediation measures” as required by the court. The company did not provide a timeline for refilling the sinkhole or restoring the damaged water system.

While the decision marks a legal victory for Tierra Amarilla residents, many remain skeptical. Years after the dramatic collapse drew global headlines, the yawning hole still serves as a stark reminder of the environmental cost of Chile’s vast copper industry, which supplies roughly a quarter of the world’s demand for the red metal.