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In Krasnoyarsk, the court arrests three people responsible for mining safety violation entailing by negligence death of people

On October 21, 2019, upon review of investigative motion and submitted materials, the court ruled to put into custody the director of the gold mining company «Sisim», the head and master of the mining site of the same organization.

As it was reported earlier, at night of October 19, 2019, a technological dam on the Ceiba River broke through on the territory of a gold mine near the village of Shchetinkino, Kuraginsky District and flooded two working lodges. As a result of the accident, 15 persons were killed, five are missing.

On the same day, investigators carried out searches in the office of the gold mining artel and seized administrative and financial documentation. The interrogated head of the mining site admitted his guilt to the full, confessed and expressed an intention to sign an immunity agreement with investigation; the director and the master of the gold mining artel refuse to admit their guilt.

Interrogation of witnesses and examination of seized and requested from control bodies documents revealed violations in organization of work of the gold mining artel. It was established that the dams were constructed in order to withdraw groundwater from the gold mining site without any construction permits. At first, the water broke through the highest dam and then its moving force destroyed four other hydro-technical constructions one by one.

According to Rostechnadzor representative, the dam collapsed due to violations committed by the suspects during forming and using technological ponds and retention walls and untimely detection of on-site contingency.

Currently, as part of the investigation, investigators have questioned 185 witnesses and eye-witnesses of the incident; conducted searches at the offices of the gold mining artel; carried out seven inspections of the scene, including with the use of a quadrocopter and a helicopter; 29 persons have been recognized as victims; six seizures of documents and electronic media in the supervisory authorities have been carried out; 15 examinations have been appointed and are being conducted; currently, 14 workers who died during the breach of the dams have been identified by relatives. The criminal investigation is ongoing.