Kazakhstan mourns for 45 dead in ArcelorMittal mine disaster

The tragedy, which struck on the Kostenko coal mine within the Karaganda area Saturday, got here after a collection of lethal incidents at ArcelorMittal mines and has prompted the nationalisation of the corporate’s native affiliate. 

“As of three pm (0900 GMT) the our bodies of 42 individuals have been discovered,” Kazakhstan’s emergency companies mentioned on social media. 

“The seek for 4 miners continues.”

Later, authorities mentioned the our bodies of three others had been discovered and rescuers have been looking for the final miner lacking, with little hope of discovering him alive. 

Rescuers earlier warned that probabilities of discovering the remaining miners alive have been “very low”, as a result of lack of air flow and the drive of Saturday’s explosion, which unfold over two kilometres (1.2 miles).

The earlier deadliest mine accident in post-Soviet Kazakhstan occurred in 2006, killing 41 miners at one other ArcelorMittal web site. It got here simply two months after one other incident killed 5 miners. 

Anger and disbelief reigned after the catastrophe in Karaganda, central Kazakhstan.

“Each miner is a hero, as a result of when he goes down, he doesn’t know if he’ll come again or not,” mentioned former miner Sergei Glazkov. 

Many welcomed the federal government’s transfer in the direction of nationalisation, angered by the corporate’s security file. 

Daniar Mustafin, a 42-year-old salesman, mentioned he favoured “full nationalisation with out materials compensation for the present homeowners”.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered cooperation with the Luxembourg-based firm to be “dropped at an finish.”

In a press release on its Kazakh web site, ArcelorMittal mentioned its ideas have been with the households of those that misplaced family members.

“We perceive that there isn’t any satisfactory compensation for his or her losses, however we’ll do the whole lot in our energy to assist them within the coming weeks and months”, it mentioned.

“ArcelorMittal has owned these mines in Kazakhstan since 1995. Sadly their operation poses a excessive security danger as a result of sophisticated geology, which has resulted in quite a lot of lethal accidents over the previous two years”, it mentioned.

– ‘Worst’ firm in ‘Kazakhstan’s historical past’ –

Talking to victims’ kinfolk on the mine, Tokayev known as ArcelorMittal “the worst enterprise in Kazakhstan’s historical past when it comes to cooperation with the federal government”.

The Kazakh authorities and the metal big introduced a preliminary settlement to “switch possession of the (native) agency in favour of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov acknowledged.

In its assertion, ArcelorMittal mentioned that the earlier week, “the 2 events… signed a preliminary settlement” to switch possession of the mine to Kazakhstan.

On Sunday, flags have been at half-mast to mark the day of nationwide mourning declared by Tokayev, an AFP correspondent noticed.

Because the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, about 200 miners have died in Kazakhstan, the overwhelming majority at ArcelorMittal websites. 

– ‘His guardian angel saved him’ –

There have been 252 individuals contained in the mine when the fireplace began, ArcelorMittal mentioned. 

Outdoors a hospital in Karaganda, kinfolk of those that had survived the blast have been thanking the heavens.  

“His guardian angel saved him. He’s alive,” mentioned Nikolai Bralin, the brother of an injured miner. 

“Two of his ribs have been barely torn other than the blow and he had surgical procedure to place them again in place,” he added. 

ArcelorMittal’s arrival in Kazakhstan in 1995 was initially seen as a beacon of hope in the course of the financial stoop that adopted the autumn of communism. 

However an absence of funding and insufficient security requirements have been repeatedly criticised by the authorities, whereas commerce unions known as for tighter authorities management. 

ArcelorMittal, led by Indian businessman Lakshmi Mittal, operates some 15 factories and mines within the centre of the previous Soviet republic.

bur/bp/yad/lcm

Initially printed as Kazakhstan mourns for 45 lifeless in ArcelorMittal mine catastrophe