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Gold mine in Russia's Amur with 13 trapped workers almost completely flooded

Gold mine in Russia's Amur with 13 trapped workers almost completely flooded

File photo.

A gold mine in Russia's Amur region, where 13 workers have been trapped for more than a week, is almost completely flooded, Russia's state-run RIA news agency said on Thursday (Mar 28), citing emergency services.

The miners working at the Pioneer mine were trapped on March 18 following a rock collapse. Pioneer is one of the largest mines in Russia.

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On Wednesday, the TASS news agency reported that the majority of rescue efforts had been suspended at the mine due to the risk of another rock collapse. In a statement posted on Telegram, the country's emergencies ministry said that emergency workers would study water deposits discovered at the bottom of four shafts.

"This will allow us to establish a complete picture of the entire depth of the mine and make a decision on further work," the statement added.

Gold mine director arrested

Pioneer's director managing director was arrested over safety violations at the mine, The Moscow Times reported on Monday (Mar 25). The identity of the managing director was not known.

“The managing director was detained in the Amur region on suspicion of violating safety requirements during operations at the Pioneer mine,” a local branch of the Investigative Committee said.

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Videos released by the Committee showed the managing director being informed about the charges against him. The report said that he would jailed for up to seven years if found guilty.

(With inputs from agencies)