A desperate rescue effort is underway to save the lives of 13 miners trapped 150 meters underground in one of Russia’s largest gold mines after a massive rockfall.
Following the collapse of the Pioneer mine, a state of emergency was declared in the Amur region.
About 25 mountain rescuers from the Neryungri paramilitary mountain rescue platoon of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry were sent to the mine in Zeya district.
They try to reach the miners, of whom there may be up to fifteen according to the regional public prosecutor’s office, through a ventilation shaft.
A Mi-8 helicopter is also stationed at the mine in case of emergency, the ministry said.
A rescue mission is underway in Russia to save the lives of 13 miners trapped in a collapsed gold mine after a cliff fall
Rescuers have dug as deep as 90 meters, but miners may be trapped deeper than 150 meters underground
About 25 mountain rescuers from the Neryungri paramilitary mountain rescue platoon of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry were sent to the mine in Zeya district.
9,000 cubic meters of rubble collapsed – enough to fill more than three Olympic swimming pools
“There is little information so far,” said Igor Namakonov, head of the Center for Civil Protection and Emergencies in the Fart district.
The trapped miners – or some of them – live and knock by banging on a ventilation pipe to communicate with the rescuers.
A distraught relative said: ‘They are knocking on the pipe and using it to say they are still alive.
“We pray to God that they don’t get flooded there and that they have enough oxygen.”
Rescuers have dug as deep as 90 meters, but the miners may be trapped deeper than 150 meters underground.
Images showed rescue operations underway at the mine, located in the Amur region of eastern Siberia, which borders China to the south.
According to reports, the ‘roof of the collapsed gold mine’ blocks any exit for the workers who are located up to 150 meters underground.
About 9,000 cubic meters of rubble collapsed – enough to fill more than three Olympic swimming pools.
Rescuers had to remove a wall of fallen rock about 20 meters high and 60 meters long.
“Communications are being restored and mechanized clearing of the transport path is being carried out,” the ministry said.
Rescue teams had to remove a wall of fallen rocks some 20 meters high and 60 meters long
The trapped miners – or some of them – live and knock by banging on a ventilation pipe to communicate with the rescuers
The Pioneer mine is one of the largest gold mines in Russia in terms of capacity, Russian media report
Russian state investigators have opened a criminal case into violations of safety rules at the mine, but officials did not immediately say what caused the accident.
Investigators have seized documentation from mine operators and are questioning witnesses to the rock collapse, reports said.
All the miners reportedly come from other Russian regions.
The incident could be a blow to Vladimir Putin’s government as its dependence on gold grows amid the war against Ukraine.