SANTIAGO – One worker was killed and two others injured Tuesday in an explosion at a copper mine in northern Chile’s Atacama region, authorities said.

The blast at the mine in Tierra Amarilla was due to the mishandling of explosives, regional emergency management chief Carlos Garcia told the media.

Miner Hector Mauricio Cortez Vergara died in the explosion, while Andres Lara Lara and Juan Carlos Castillo were hurt.

The injured were taken to the hospital in Copiapo, the regional capital, where Castillo was listed in serious condition.

The Atacama region is home to the San Jose gold mine, where 33 men spent 70 days trapped underground before a dramatic mid-October rescue that captured the imagination of the world. EFE