The court in Blagoveshchensk arrested the manager of the mine with the blocked miners

The Blagoveshchensk city court arrested the managing director of the Pioner gold mine, where 13 people were trapped in the mine as a result of a collapse. Alexei Biryukov has been charged with violating safety rules while conducting work, according to the court’s announcement.

The material says that a criminal case has been initiated under the third paragraph of the criminal article on violation of safety rules during work, according to which the accused faces up to 7 years in prison. The article is used in case of death as a result of violation of two or more persons. The death of the miners has not yet been officially announced.

The investigation believes that Biryukov knew that work in the mine was being carried out next to the water-filled pit, but he did not organize water pumping.

A criminal case of negligence has also been initiated, the report of the Investigative Committee says. According to the investigation, employees of the Far Eastern Department of Rostechnadzor did not detect any violations at the facility during the inspections.

The collapse at the Pioner mine occurred on March 18. All the miners caught in the pile are shift workers from other regions. Their fate is still unknown. There is no connection with them. The Ministry of Emergency Situations declared that the mine was most likely flooded.

The governor of the region, Vasily Orlov, wrote on March 25 that the rescue operation is ongoing: exploratory wells are being drilled at the mine, a powerful pump and ground-penetrating radar are being installed, the delivery of which is expected on March 27.

• Pioner mining and hydrometallurgical plant is one of the largest gold mining enterprises in Russia. In 2020, it produced 2.8 million troy ounces (3.7 tons) of gold, according to information from the Petropavlovsk company that owns the complex.