At least 16 workers died in a fire at a coal mine in the Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan. Another 31 miners went missing after the accident in the industrial city of Karaganda, operator ArcelorMittal announced today, according to Russian news agency TASS.
In August, a deadly accident occurred in a mine owned by the international steel company, in which five workers died. A government-appointed commission blamed the company for the accident.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered his government to end its investment partnership with ArcelorMittal following the recent incident. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
In November 2021, a serious accident also occurred in a coal mine not far from Karaganda, which also belongs to ArcelorMittal. At that time, several workers died in a methane gas explosion. There have been several fatal accidents at the mine in the city of Abai.