Kazakhstan: At least 21 people were killed on Saturday when a fire broke out at a mine in Kazakhstan belonging to the global steel giant ArcelorMittal. The fire broke out at a mine fire in Kazakhstan, the local unit of the Luxembourg-based steelmaker which operates the mine The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the ministry said that it may have been caused by an electrical short circuit.
The fire broke out in a ventilation shaft at the mine, and quickly spread to other parts of the mine. Miners were working underground at the time of the fire, and many of them were trapped. Of the 252 people at the Kostenko mine, 208 have been evacuated with 18 seeking medical help, the company said in its statement.
“The head of state expressed his condolences to the families of the dead miners. The head of the state expressed condolences to the families of the deceased miners”, wrote the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s Press Office on X.
The mine is one of the largest mines in Kazakhstan. It is owned by ArcelorMittal, which is the world’s largest steelmaker. ArcelorMittal said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life at the mine. The company said that it was working with the Kazakh authorities to investigate the cause of the fire and to provide assistance to the families of the victims.
The fire at the mine is the latest in a series of deadly mine accidents in Kazakhstan. Earlier in 2019, at least 14 miners were killed in a fire at a mine in the Karaganda region. In 2018, at least 13 miners were killed in a mine collapse in the Karaganda region.
The Kazakh government has been criticized for its safety record in the mining industry. In 2019, the International Labour Organization said that Kazakhstan had one of the highest rates of fatal accidents in the mining industry in the world. The ILO called on the Kazakh government to improve safety standards in the mining industry.