Russian search and rescue teams are racing to rescue 13 people trapped underground after a gold mine collapsed on Monday, March 18.
Officials have described the efforts to save the workers as “difficult” as the rescuers attempt to clear rubble to reach the miners who are believed to be trapped 390 feet below ground, Knewz.com has learned.
A rockslide on Monday triggered the mine collapse, and officials said they have already opened an investigation to determine whether the mine, owned by the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMCC), violated safety standards.
“The situation remains difficult, and neighboring regions are helping us cope with it,” Vasily Orlov, the governor of the Amur Oblast region, wrote on Telegram.
“All services in the region are at full readiness. There are doctors on duty at the mine so that, if their help is needed, it can be provided immediately,” he wrote.
Orlov said he does not believe any of the victims are from Amur Oblast but rather are other Russians who traveled to the mine for work.
“The [mine workers] are contacting relatives of people who are in the mine. If necessary, we are ready to place relatives in temporary accommodation centers and hotels in the Zeya Okrug and provide all the necessary assistance,” he wrote.
In his most recent post, Orlov said that rescuers had drilled through a blocked mine shaft that they believed would lead them to the trapped miners. Orlov added that if they do not find the people, the drilling will allow them to lower cameras and communication tools to understand the situation inside the collapse better.
The rescue team is attempting to drill through about 300-600 feet of rubble every two hours, but the amount of rubble is immense, nine times larger than previous estimations.
“At night, experts plan to begin constructing a concrete lintel that will protect against water and repeated collapse,” wrote Orlov.
Orlov noted that neighboring regions had made an extra effort to help the rescue efforts, particularly when leadership from Novokuznetsk sent an IL-76 rescue plane as well as the pilots trained to fly it.
Novokuznetsk also sent 30 mine rescuers, mine specialists and engineers to Amur Oblast.
“There are practically no rescue specialists in the Far East, so the help of Kuzbass is important for us,” Orlov wrote.
In July 2023, the U.S. government sanctioned UMCC as part of its efforts to weaken Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine. According to Reuters, the sanctions were part of efforts to “reduce Russia’s revenue from the metals and mining sector.”
On Wednesday, Orlov said he updated newly re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin about the collapse. Orlov said Putin told him to “take all possible measures to save the victims.”
In November 2021, a fire broke out in a mining shaft, which expelled smoke throughout a coal mine in a coal mine in Kemerovo Oblast in Siberia, suffocating more than 40 people. A secondary explosion killed five people who were attempting a rescue mission.
The mine director, his deputy and the site manager were arrested following that disaster.
The post 13 Russian Gold Miners Trapped Underground After Tunnel Collapsed; Search and Rescuers Work Frantically to Free Them appeared first on Knewz.
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Author: Kevin McSpadden
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