Kostenko mine disaster
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Date | 28 October 2023 |
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Location | Kostenko mine, Karaganda, Karaganda Region, Kazakhstan |
Deaths | 42[1] |
Non-fatal injuries | 18 |
On the night of 28 October 2023, a fire occurred at the Kostenko mine in the Karaganda Region of Kazakhstan.[2] 42 miners were killed, the search for 4 continues.[3] 20 people were injured.[4] The cause was presumably a gas methane explosion underground. The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, ordered to "terminate investment cooperation with the company" ArcelorMittal Temirtau, which owns the mine.[5] 29 October was declared a day of mourning in Kazakhstan.[6]
Background
The Kostenko mine is owned by ArcelorMittal Temirtau. It has the largest metallurgical plant in Kazakhstan, and owns 15 coal mines and iron ore mines. Since the mid-1990s, it has been part of the international steel corporation ArcelorMittal.[5] Over 100 people died at ArcelorMittal Temirtau facilities over 15 years.[4] Authorities have already expressed dissatisfaction with ArcelorMittal's failure to fulfill its investment commitments, modernize equipment and ensure worker safety. Two months before the fire at the Kostenko mine, an accident occurred at another ArcelorMittal Temirtau mine, the Kazakhstanskaya mine, which resulted in the death of five people. After the accident at Kazakhstanskaya, the Kazakh authorities stated that the political decision to nationalise the operation and remove the company from Kazakhstan had already been made.[5]
Accident
28 October
On 28 October 2023 at 2:33 at the Kostenko mine, a fire occurred in the level located at the minus 100 horizon, about 700 meters deep.[7] At the time of the accident, there were from 227 to 252 people in the mine, 208 were brought to the surface.[8] 18 people received medical assistance. Initially, 4 dead bodies were found, and later three more were exhumed.[9]
In the afternoon, at 14:00, the bodies of 22 miners were found. The search is at a depth of about 700 meters. 10 divisions of the professional military rescue service consisting of 55 people and 12 equipment were mobilized for emergency rescue operations. The works are carried out in the area of 2 sites, where monitoring of the gas situation, sampling, and lifting of identified bodies are carried out. The work of all enterprises of ArcelorMittal Temirtau was suspended for one day.[9] By 16:00, the death toll increased to 32 people.[10]
Later that night, a briefing was held in Karaganda, it was said that the 13 people who have not yet been found have "very little chance of survival" and the cause of the accident was a fire from a coal furnace. The high death toll was explained by the explosion of the gas-air mixture, the fact that the positioning system was not installed in the mine, and it was found that it was missing during an emergency.[11] According to Zhumat Ukenov, deputy director of the Karaganda branch of the republican central headquarters of the professional paramilitary emergency rescue services, "the fire at the scene of the accident has been extinguished (and) there is no danger to the work of rescuers in the mine." and "the bodies of the miners were severely damaged during the accident, which makes it difficult to identify them."[12]
29 October
On the morning of 29 October, the rescuers found four more bodies, with the death toll reaching 36, 29 of them rose to the surface. This left 11 more people missing.[13] At 14:00, the number of dead miners reached 38 people. 9 people remained missing from the mine.[14] By 15:00, the bodies of 42 dead people have been found, and the search for 4 miners continues.[15][16]
Aftermath
A government commission has been established to determine the causes of the accident. The Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan opened a criminal case into the accident under Part 3 of Article 277 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan (violation of safety rules during mining or construction work). Tokayev[8] arrived at the mine. He ordered to "terminate investment cooperation with the company".[8] 29 October has been declared a day of national mourning in Kazakhstan for the victims of the accident.[8][6]
References
- ^ "Руководитель республиканского оперативного штаба по ликвидации аварии произвел спуск в шахту" (in Russian). Ministry of Emergency Situations (Kazakhstan). 2023-10-29. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ "В шахте им.Костенко в Казахстане нашли тела 28 погибших при пожаре горняков" (in Russian). Interfax. 2023-10-28. Archived from the original on 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ "Число жертв аварии на шахте в Караганде возросло до 33". TASS. 2023-10-28. Archived from the original on 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ a b Вебер, Елена (2023-10-28). "Очередная смертоносная авария на шахте. Астана возвращает себе активы «Арселора»?" (in Russian). Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ a b c "В Казахстане более 30 человек погибли в результате пожара в шахте" (in Russian). BBC News Russian. 2023-10-28. Archived from the original on 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ a b "В Казахстане 29 октября будет днем траура в связи с гибелью людей на шахте". Interfax. 2023-10-28. Archived from the original on 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ "Взрыв на шахте Костенко: число погибших возросло до 33" (in Russian). Деловой портал Капитал.кз. 2023-10-28. Archived from the original on 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ a b c d "Что известно о пожаре на шахте в Караганде". TASS. 2023-10-28. Archived from the original on 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ a b "ЧП НА ШАХТЕ ИМ. КОСТЕНКО: ХРОНОЛОГИЯ ПРОИСШЕСТВИЯ". 24.kz (in Russian). 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ "Қарағандыдағы шахтадағы жарылыс". tengrinews.kz (in Russian). Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Костенко шахтасындағы апат: 33 адамның денесі табылды, 13 кенші іздестіріліп жатыр" (in Kazakh). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ "Шахтадағы апат: Мерт болған кеншілердің жеке басын анықтау қиынға түсуде" (in Kazakh). kazinform. 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ "Костенко шахтасындағы апат: сағат 9-дағы жағдай бойынша" (in Kazakh). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2023-10-29. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ "Костенко шахтасындағы Трагедия: 38 адамның денесі табылды". baigenews.kz (in Russian). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Аварияны жою жөніндегі республикалық жедел штабтың басшысы шахтаға түсті" (in Kazakh). ҚР ІІМ. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Руководитель республиканского оперативного штаба по ликвидации аварии произвел спуск в шахту" (in Russian). Ministry of Emergency Situations (Kazakhstan). 2023-10-29. Retrieved 2023-10-29.