CNN —At least 45 coal miners were killed in a fire sparked by a methane gas explosion at a mine in Kazakhstan, authorities in the country said on Sunday.
In a statement, the Ministry for Emergency Situations said the blast sparked a blaze early on Saturday at the Kostenko mine in the Karaganda region, state-owned Kazinform news agency reported.
More than 200 people were evacuated from the mine to safety and search efforts are ongoing for one missing miner, the ministry said.
The mine is owned by Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest producer of steel, and run by its local representative ArcelorMittal Temirtau, which operates multiple coal and iron ore mines across Kazakhstan.
The multi-billion dollar mining sector accounted for an estimated 17% of GDP in mineral-rich Kazakhstan in 2021, according to the US International Trade Administration.
Persons:
ArcelorMittal, “, Kassym, Jomart Tokayev
Organizations:
CNN, Ministry, Emergency, General, Office, Kazakh, US International Trade Administration
Locations:
Kazakhstan, Karaganda, Luxembourg, Kazakh, Temirtau