Chile warns area around sinkhole at high risk of further collapse

FILE PHOTO: A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johan Godoy/File Photo

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean authorities warned that the area around a copper mine where a sinkhole suddenly appeared is at high risk of further collapse and has set up a security perimeter.

Government agencies and the mine's owners are studying what caused the appearance in late July of the mysterious hole that spans 36.5 meters (120 feet) in diameter.