Codelco says access to its mines blocked by demonstrations in northern Chile

SANTIAGO, April 21 (Reuters) - Chile's state-owned Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, on Friday said a demonstration against insecurity and crime in the neighbouring mining city of Calama has blocked access to its large deposits in that northern part of the country. "Codelco informs that since approximately 4:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) this morning, the accesses to the Chuquicamata, Radomiro Tomic, Gabriela Mistral and Ministro Hales divisions have been blocked," the state-owned company said in a statement. After midnight, the northern Chilean city began a strike to protest crime violence, in the midst of a worsening public security crisis in the country that is hitting the northern regions bordering Peru and Bolivia the hardest. "We are a company in the municipality of Calama and our workers are part of this community, so we understand the unease and concern of the citizens about crime, of which we have also been victims as an organisation," he added in his statement. Codelco said, however, that the blockades "put infrastructure and critical equipment at risk, which could affect the future development of our operations" as it affects both workers who have finished their shifts and those who are due to start their shifts.

The strike was called by Calama's own mayor, Eliecer Chamorro, after several violent incidents earlier this week, including an armed attack on a police office, left two dead and five injured. According to Carabineros police, incendiary barricades, protesters and detained trucks blocked other routes as well, towards the airport and in the direction of the coastal city of Antofagasta, a major urban centre in northern Chile.
(Reporting by Natalia Ramons; Writing by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Mark Porter)