Over 100 died in 15 years at ArcelorMittal Temirtau enterprises, Kazakh PM
Governor Yermaganbet Bulekpayev reported on the coal mine fire and the work of the accident investigation special commission set up pursuant to the President’s task.
The search for two missing miners is underway. The firefighters are fighting the fire at the D 6 belt slope.
According to the Emergency Situations Minister, Syrym Sharipkhanov, accident rate at the coal mine of the ArcelorMittal Temirtau is not declining since 2016. There were 18 accidents killing 19 miners and injuring 45 workers in 2016-2022. There were four accidents at the ArcelorMittal Temirtau enterprises killing 12 and injuring 21 in 2021-2022.
957 violations of industrial safety requirements were recorded at the at the ArcelorMittal Temirtau enterprises for the past seven months. 25 facilities suspended their operations.
Kazakh Industry and Infrastructure Minister Marat Karabayev reported, a number of strategic documents on capital improvement and industrial safety actions were signed between Kazakhstan and ArcelorMittal Temirtau. Though the company fails to fulfill undertakings.
The Kazakh Prime Minister stressed that over 100 people died at the ArcelorMittal Temirtau enterprises for the past 15 years. The said figures keep on rising year after year. Each death in the international group of ArcelorMittal falls on Kazakhstan’s division.
The Kazakh Prime Minister assigned the Emergency Situations Ministry and Ecology Ministry to urgently complete industrial and environmental audit at the ArcelorMittal Temirtau JSC to take the relevant decisions.
As earlier reported, a fire broke out at 10:05 am on a conveyer band of Kazakhstanskaya coal mine of ArcelorMittal Temirtau’s Coal Division.
227 workers were in the mine. They were evacuated through a boundary shaft of the mine. 222 miners were rescued by 14:00 with five remaining in the mine. The body of a miner was recovered in the evening. He was identified in the morning. The next day the body of one more worker was found. The search is underway as two more miners are still missing.
11 workers are staying in hospitals.
A criminal investigation was launched.