On March 18, a landslide occurred at the gold mine, trapping miners more than 120 meters underground.
Moscow:
Russian emergency workers on Monday concluded a rescue operation at a mine in the country’s far east where 13 workers had been trapped for two weeks, state media reported.
On March 18, a landslide occurred at the Pioneer Gold Mine in Russia’s Amur region near the Chinese border, trapping miners more than 120 meters (about 400 feet) underground.
Initial search operations revealed that the cave where they would have taken refuge was flooded, raising concerns that 13 people were killed in the landslide.
“On April 1, we decided to terminate the rescue operation at the Pioneer mine,” the Interfax news agency quoted a statement from the Pokrovsky mine operator as saying.
“Drilling results show that the area where miners may be located is filled with rock mass and water. Due to the possibility of another landslide, the lives of rescuers and miners involved in the operation are in danger,” the report added.
The gold mine is one of the largest in the world and one of the most productive in Russia.
Amur region officials have launched an investigation into alleged safety violations. The regional branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee, which investigates major crimes, said the general manager was arrested last week.
Accidents in Russian mines are relatively common, and lax safety standards and poor enforcement are blamed for many tragedies. In 2021, an accident occurred at a coal mine in Siberia, killing 40 miners.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
