In March 2024, a catastrophic rockslide at the Pioneer gold mine in Russia’s Amur region left 13 workers trapped 120 metres underground, sparking a desperate two-week-long rescue operation marked by extreme geological and logistical challenges. Despite the deployment of specialised teams and equipment from Siberia’s Kuzbas region, efforts were hampered by massive rubble volumes – ultimately found to be nine times higher than initially estimated – and rising water levels that flooded caverns that miners were sheltering in. Hopes were temporarily raised when reports emerged of tapping noises from within the mine, but the absence of confirmed contact, coupled with increasing risks of secondary collapses, forced authorities to call off the operation in April. The disaster prompted an official investigation into safety violations, with the mine's managing director arrested amidst mounting scrutiny of systemic lapses in industrial safety across the country.