The accident is the worst since 2006, when more than 40 miners were killed.
In Kazakhstan, at least 25 people have been killed in a mine fire in the central part of the country, officials say. There were more than 250 miners in the mine when the fire broke out, of which more than 200 could be brought up.
The fire broke out at the Kostenko mine near the city of Karaganda, owned by the steel giant ArcelorMittal. The fire is believed to have started from a methane explosion, reports news agency Reuters.
It was already the second mining accident at ArcelorMittal’s mines in Kazakhstan within two months. Five miners died in the previous accident in August.
The authorities have repeatedly accused the company of neglecting safety and environmental regulations.
President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Žomart Tokaev announced after the accident that “investment cooperation with the company will end”. In a message published on the messaging service Telegram, it was hinted that the company’s operations would be nationalized.
– Work is currently underway to return the company to the Republic of Kazakhstan, the government’s message said. Transferring the company to “other foreign investors” is not considered.
The mine fire is Kazakhstan’s worst mining accident since 2006, when 41 miners died, also at an ArcelorMittal mine.
ArcelorMittal has twenty mines in Kazakhstan.