SANTIAGO, Chile — A collapse at Chile’s El Teniente copper mine killed one worker and left five others trapped underground, prompting the state-owned National Copper Corp. (Codelco) to suspend operations in the affected areas of the world’s largest underground copper deposit.

Nine other miners were injured in Thursday’s incident, which Codelco said was triggered by “a seismic event.” The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 5 earthquake in central Chile at 5:34 p.m. local time, near the mine’s location in the O’Higgins region. Codelco estimated the tremor’s magnitude at 4.2.

Authorities are investigating whether the tremor was naturally occurring or linked to mining activity. Prosecutors have opened a criminal probe to determine if safety standards were breached.

The collapse occurred in the Andesita project, a 25-kilometer (15-mile) tunnel complex extending from El Teniente on the western slopes of the Andes Mountains.

Codelco identified the deceased miner as Paulo Marín Tapia and said the expanded section had only recently begun producing copper.

Rescue teams have pinpointed the location of the partial collapse but have not established communication with the five trapped miners, who remain 900 meters underground. Debris from the tremor blocked all access routes to their work site.

“We are making every effort to try to rescue these five miners,” said Andrés Music, El Teniente’s general manager, adding that the next 48 hours are critical. Around 100 specialists — including veterans of the 2010 rescue of 33 miners in northern Chile — are working on the operation.

Codelco evacuated 3,000 workers from the site and canceled its scheduled Friday morning presentation of first-half financial results to focus on rescue efforts.

Chile, the world’s largest copper producer, sits on the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” making its mines particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. — Agencies