Accidents
At least 32 dead in explosion in Kazakh mine
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (3rd from right), President of Kazakhstan, expresses his condolences to the relatives of the dead miners. photo
© —/Kazakhstan’s Presidential Press Office/AP/dpa
According to Kazakh media, there have been more than two dozen mining accidents in the country in the past 20 years. Now another one has been added.
In the worst mining accident in years in the Central Asian republic Kazakhstan’s death toll continues to rise. In the afternoon (local time), the rescue workers spoke of 32 dead and 14 missing.
A methane gas explosion occurred in the Kostenko coal mine in the area of the industrial city of Karaganda in the morning while more than 250 miners were underground, operator Arcelormittal announced on Saturday. The Kazakh authorities accused the international steel company of failing to ensure worker safety in the face of the new disaster.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev traveled to the scene of the accident and expressed his condolences to the relatives of the dead at a meeting in a hall. He promised the survivors financial help. At the same time, Tokayev ordered to end the partnership with the investors. He appointed a new company manager. Accordingly, there should also be a change of ownership. The company is threatened with losing its business in the resource-rich country.
Day of mourning on Sunday
In total, operations in eight Arcelormittal coal mines were temporarily suspended in order to check the devices to protect against highly explosive mine gas. A nationwide day of mourning is scheduled for this Sunday in Kazakhstan. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the people of the neighboring country.
According to Arcelormittal, more than 200 of the 252 workers had come to the surface of the mine shaft. 18 of them needed medical help. It is the worst mining accident in years. “The rescue workers are working on site,” said Arcelormittal. The company expressed its condolences to the relatives of the dead and assured help.
There were repeated fatal incidents in the company’s coal mines. According to Kazakh media, there have been more than two dozen mining accidents in the country in the past 20 years. More than 100 people died.
Announcement from the steel company Kazakh President Tokayev on Telegram