Major Chilean copper mine reopens following storm

Workers at one of Chile's major copper mines were back on the job Monday, after operations were paralyzed by a major storm that left six dead across the region.

Output at state mining giant Codelco's Chuquicamata facility was suspended Sunday for three hours before "production lines returned to normal," the company said Monday.

The mine, located 1,650 kilometers (1,000 miles) north of Santiago, produces around 339,000 tonnes of copper per year, making it one of the company's most productive sites.

Codelco produces 11 percent of the world's copper.

At another Codelco facility in the northern Atacama region, work has been halted for nearly three weeks by strikers seeking wage hikes.

Chile is the world's number one producer of copper and produces one third of the world's total output.

Central and northern Chile have been lashed by powerful rainstorms causing the six deaths and forcing more than 1,000 to flee their homes.