MOSCOW, October 22 (RAPSI) – A court in Krasnoyarsk, one of the largest cities in Russia’s Siberia, has ordered the owner of Sisim gold-mining artel Maxim Kovalkov to be detained for 2 months in a case over the deadly dike burst claiming lives of at least 15 people, according to a statement of the Investigative Committee.

Two other defendants, mine captain Andrey Yeganov and mine overseer Yevgeny Aleksandrov have been also placed in detention for till December 18.

During the searches, investigators seized the artel’s documents. It was revealed that the dams were built illegally without permit in order to drain groundwater for the purpose of gold mining, the statement reads.

Yeganov pleaded guilty and expressed wish to sign a plea deal, while Kovalkov and Aleksandrov denied their guilt.

In the early hours of October 19, a technological dam burst in the gold mine, then broke four more and flooded several workers dormitories. As a result, 15 people died and 5 were missing.