Emergency declared in Russia's Amur region after Pioner mine accident

BLAGOVESHCHENSK. March 19 (Interfax) - A regional emergency has been declared in Russia's Amur region after rock collapsed in a section of the Pioner mine while workers were still inside, the regional government said in a statement.

"A regional emergency has been introduced in the Amur region in order to mobilize all forces and equipment following the accident at the Pioner mine in the Zeya district. This decision was made at an extraordinary meeting of the emergency situations committee chaired by the Amur region governor," the government said.

The region's healthcare system has been mobilized to provide medical aid to injured workers. Teams of the Amur emergency medicine center are on standby to evacuate those injured, also using air ambulances.

"There were 13 people at a depth of around 125 meters in the Pioner mine when rock collapsed. They are staff of a contractor organization specializing in tunneling and mine development operations. Any contact with these people is currently absent," the regional government said.

"All of the region's forces and means have been mobilized to rescue these people," the Amur region's governor Vasily Orlov was quoted in the statement as saying.

Rock collapsed in a section of the Pioner mine on Monday. Thirteen people remain trapped inside the mine. A group of rescuers from the enterprise are trying to reach them via a ventilation shaft. A mechanized cleanup effort has begun in the transport shaft.