Russian authorities have halted search operations for 13 miners missing in a landslide more than two weeks ago in Russia’s Far East because they were unable to reach the site of the collapse.
Miners specializing in digging tunnels were trapped at a depth of 125 meters due to a landslide that occurred on March 18 at a gold mine in the Amur region.
Hundreds of rescuers were sent to the site to remove rubble and dig tunnels to try to reach the disaster site, but this Monday “the decision was made to stop the rescue operation at the Pionier mine,” a source from Pokrovsky Rudnik said. , the company that runs the place, is quoted by the Interfax agency.
According to the company, “drilling results showed that the galleries where miners could have been were filled with rock and water.”
The company added that this situation had put rescuers and miners involved in search operations to find the miners “in danger of their lives.”
Authorities have already indicated that rescue efforts are complicated by the constant ingress of water into the mine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “all possible measures were taken (…)” to try to rescue the 13 trapped miners.
Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov thanked the rescuers for working “at risk.”
“I am confident that the experts have done everything they can,” he said in a message circulated on social media, promising financial support for the families of the missing.
Mine accidents in Russia, as in other countries of the former Soviet Union, continue to occur frequently, mainly due to a lack of maintenance and investment in safety measures.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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