The deterioration of facilities at the gold mining dam in Russia's Krasnoyarsk Territory could have been the reason for it to collapse earlier today, leaving at least 13 people killed and 10 missing, a representative of the local emergency services told Sputnik on Saturday.
"The main version of the dam's collapse on the river Seyba is considered to be deterioration of the dam's body," the representative said.
According to the local Shchetinkino authorities, the wave that caused the dam to crash was some 13-15 feet-high and made of rocks, clay and mud.
"The burst probably occurred because of large amounts of water. It is not about precipitation. The wave was some four-five meters in height. It was a mudflow ... There was clay, rocks, mud and overburden," the authorities told Sputnik.
The Investigative Committee said that a criminal case was opened over the violation of work safety standards.
A group of investigators is working on the site of the incident.
The collapse of a dam on a water reservoir belonging to a gold-mining company near the settlement of Shchetinkino in the Kuraginsky district occurred at 02:00 a. m. on Saturday (23:00 GMT on Friday). The collapse led to two temporary dormitories for the mine employees being flooded. The current death toll from the incident stands at 13 people, while at least 10 are missing and 80 are feared to be trapped inside the flooded facilities.
Forty-one people and 12 equipment units have been engaged in the search and rescue operation. Moreover, an airmobile unit, including 200 personnel members, 5 Mi-8 helicopters and Mi-26 helicopters from the Siberia rescue centre of the Russian Emergencies Ministry have been dispatched to the area.
The ministry said the group is being strengthened.
