2023-10-28 12:59:00
On Saturday, an accident in a mine operated by ArcelorMittal killed 32 people in central Kazakhstan. Fourteen other minors are still wanted. This tragedy is one of the worst accidents in the history of this Central Asian country.
“As of 4 p.m., the bodies of 32 people were found in the Kostenko mine, the search for 14 miners continues,” the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced in a statement.
Immediately after the announcement of the tragedy, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokaïev, ordered in a press release to “end cooperation” with the ArcelorMittal group. The Kazakh leader went to the scene of the tragedy at midday, according to the presidential administration. He called ArcelorMittal “the worst company in the history” of this country.
The government also announced on Saturday a preliminary agreement with the company to regain control of the local subsidiary of the global steel giant. “The government has reached a preliminary agreement with the shareholders of ArcelorMittal Temirtau and is finalizing the transaction to transfer ownership of the company in favor of the Republic of Kazakhstan,” the Prime Minister announced in a statement
“Systemic” accidents
The Kazakh subsidiary of ArcelorMittal, one of the world leaders in steel and mining, is regularly accused by the authorities of not respecting safety and environmental standards. Earlier, the regional administration reported a fire last night in this mine, where 40 rescuers were sent to the site, as well as the Minister of Emergency Situations, Syrym Charipkhanov.
This is the worst mining accident in Kazakhstan since 2006, when 41 miners lost their lives on an ArcelorMittal site and the second fatal accident in two months on a site of the group, after the death of five miners in mid-August in the same region. ArcelorMittal operates around fifteen factories and mines in this extremely polluted industrial zone of this immense former Soviet republic rich in natural resources.
The Kazakh government has in recent months denounced the “systemic nature” of the accidents involving the group, which have cost the lives of “more than a hundred people since 2006”.
Kazakhstan, the largest economy in Central Asia, is full of oil and gas, but also uranium, manganese, iron, chrome and coal. Mine accidents are quite common in the countries of the former Soviet Union due to both the dilapidation of installations and lax safety.
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