Russian emergency workers stopped trying to rescue 13 workers who have been trapped in a mine in the Russian Far East for two weeks, according to state media.
A landslide on 18 March at the Pioneer gold mine in Russia’s Amur region near the Chinese border trapped the miners more than 120 metres underground.
Initial search operations showed that the caves where they could have been taking shelter were flooded, raising fears that the 13 miners had been killed in the landslide.
The operator of Pioneer mine, Pokrovsky Mine, stated that they have decided to stop the rescue operation at the mine, as reported by the Interfax news agency.
The drilling results indicated that the areas where the miners might be trapped are filled with rock mass and water, posing a risk of death to rescuers and mine workers due to the possibility of another collapse, the statement explained.
The Pioneer gold mine is one of the largest and most productive in Russia.
Authorities in Amur have launched an investigation into a suspected violation of safety rules, and the managing director was arrested by the regional branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee, which handles major crimes.
Accidents at mines are quite common in Russia, where poor safety standards and inadequate enforcement have been held responsible for numerous tragedies. In 2021, 40 miners were killed in a coal mine accident in Siberia.
AFP
