A methane gas explosion at the Kostenko mine in Kazakhstan ‘s Karaganda region, owned by ArcelorMittal Temirtau , caused 21 fatalities, with 23 miners still missing. Out of the 252 miners present, 208 were safely evacuated.
In response, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev suspended investment cooperation with ArcelorMittal Temirtau and initiated a government investigation. The Kazakhstani Prosecutor General’s Office is conducting a pre-trial investigation into potential safety regulation violations.
Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov had previously raised safety concerns, citing over 100 fatalities at ArcelorMittal Temirtau’s facilities in the past 15 years.