More than 40 dead in explosion in Kazakh coal mine More than 40 dead in explosion in Kazakh coal mine

At least 42 people have been killed in the worst mining accident in years in the Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan. The search continues for four missing miners after a devastating explosion in the Kostenko coal mine shaft in the area of ​​the industrial city of Karaganda, the Kazakh Civil Defense said on Sunday.

A methane gas explosion occurred in the mine on Saturday morning when more than 250 miners were underground, operator Arcelormittal announced on Saturday. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has declared Sunday a national day of mourning.

It was said that about 20 injured people required hospital treatment after the mining accident. Rescue workers said they had little hope of finding survivors. The pressure wave from the explosion spread over two kilometers in the corridors of the shaft, said the deputy head of the State Rescue Service, Gennady Silinski. It is also difficult to identify the dead.

Kazakh authorities accused international steel company Arcelormittal of serious negligence in light of the new disaster. The safety of the workers was not guaranteed. President Tokayev traveled to the scene of the accident and expressed his condolences to the families of the dead at a meeting. He promised the survivors financial help.

At the same time, Tokayev ordered to end the partnership with the investors. He placed the company under state administration and appointed a new manager. There must therefore also be a transfer of ownership. Arcelormittal is in danger of losing its activities in the resource-rich steppe state.

In total, operations at eight Arcelormittal coal mines were temporarily suspended to check devices that protect against the highly explosive firedamp, as it was said. The company expressed its condolences to the relatives and promised help. According to authorities, the survivors’ families will receive comprehensive social benefits, including an apartment and compensation equal to ten years’ salary at the company’s expense, as well as education for the children.

According to Arcelormittal, more than 200 of the 252 workers had come to the surface of the mine shaft. It is the worst mining accident in years. There were repeated fatal incidents in the company’s coal mines. According to official information, more than a hundred people have been killed in Arcelormittal properties alone in the past fifteen years. In 2006, 41 miners died in Lenin’s coal mine, the worst accident to date.

Kazakhstan, which is also rich in oil and gas, is an important supplier of raw materials to a large number of countries. For example, Germany buys oil from the former Soviet Republic, which reaches Europe via the transit country Russia.

(yam/sda/dpa)