32 killed in ArcelorMittal Kazakh coal mine blaze; govt to nationalise firm – Times of India

ALMATY: At least 32 people have died and 14 remain missing in a coal mine fire in Kazakhstan on Saturday. Operator ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the local unit of Luxembourg-based steel giant ArcelorMittal, said 206 of 252 people at the Kostenko mine had been evacuated after what appeared to be a methane blast.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said ArcelorMittal“has turned out to be the worst in our history from the point of view of cooperation with the government”.He ordered his cabinet to stop investment cooperation with the firm. The government confirmed it was working to finalise a plan to nationalise the company, which also operates the country’s biggest steel mill. Last month, First Deputy PMRoman Sklyar said Kazakhstan was in talks with potential investors who could take over the mill.

Latest in a string of deaths at ArcelorMittal Temirtau sites
The company said it had suspended operation of coal mines for 24 hours for gas protection checks.
“ArcelorMittal can also confirm, as communicated earlier today by the government of Kazakhstan, that the two parties have been in discussions concerning the future of ArcelorMittal Temirtau and recently signed a preliminary agreement for a transaction that will transfer ownership to the Republic of Kazakhstan,” the miner said.
The fire was believed to have been caused by a pocket of methane gas. It is the latest in a string of workplace deaths at sites operated by ArcelorMittal Temirtau. In August, four miners were killed after a fire erupted at the same mine, while five people died following a methane leak at another site in November 2022. The office of the country’s prosecutor general has also said it was starting an investigation into potential safety violations.
ArcelorMittal Temirtau is the local representative for Luxembourg-based multinational ArcelorMittal, the world’s second-largest steel producer. ArcelorMittal Temirtau has also fallen under scrutiny in recent years for its environmental violations.