At least 21 people have died in a fire in a mine in Kazakhstan. 23 miners are still missing. It is the worst mining accident in years. The operating company is coming under criticism again.
At least 21 workers have died in a fire in a coal mine in Kazakhstan. This is the worst mining accident in years. According to the operating company ArcelorMittal, another 23 miners are also missing in the Kostenko mine in the area of the industrial city of Karaganda. The company said they were being searched for.
The Kostenko coal mine in Karaganda, Kazakhstan
The cause is still unclear
According to ArcelorMittal, 208 of the 252 workers had come to the surface of the mine shaft. 18 of them needed medical help. According to regional authorities, 40 rescuers were sent to the scene of the accident. Accordingly, many workers suffered poisoning from leaking mine gas. The exact cause of the accident is still unclear.
After the new incident, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered the government to terminate the investment partnership with ArcelorMittal. He expressed his condolences to the victims’ families.
Kazakh President Tokayev meets with relatives of miners working in the coal mine.
Worst mining accident in years
The international steel group ArcelorMittal is repeatedly criticized for violating elementary safety regulations. There have been several fatal incidents in the company’s coal mines. It is the second fatal accident at an ArcelorMittal-operated mine in two months. Five workers were killed in an accident at a mine in the same region in August.
Kazakhstan, which is also rich in oil and gas, is an important supplier of raw materials for a large number of countries. Germany, for example, purchases oil from the former Soviet republic, which reaches Europe via the transit country Russia.