Russian gold miners declared dead as rescue effort called off

The mine rescue effort has been called off (Russia Emergency Situations Ministry press service via AP)

A rescue effort for 13 workers trapped deep underground in a collapsed gold mine in Russia’s Far East has been called off – and the men have been declared dead.

The miners got trapped on March 18 at a depth of about 125m (400ft) when part of the mine collapsed in the Zeysk district of the Amur region, about 3,000 miles east of Moscow.