© Reuters. Relatives of miners gather at the Kostenko coal mine operated by ArcelorMittal Temirtau during a power outage, as a rescue operation continues following a mine fire, in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, October 28, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer
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ALMATY (Reuters) – The death toll from a fire at a coal mine in Kazakhstan owned by ArcelorMittal (NYSE rose to 45 on Sunday, as emergency crews were involved in an operation to find the remaining miner believed to be underground, emergency service officials said.
On Saturday, operator ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the local unit of Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal, said 206 of 252 people at the Kostenko mine had been evacuated after what appeared to be a methane explosion.
Gennady Silinsky, a senior emergency services official, confirmed to Kazakh television Khabar-24 on Sunday the death toll and the continuation of operations in Karaganda, a major coal mining center.
“The work is carried out 24 hours a day in shifts in two operational zones,” Murat Katpanov, another emergency manager, told Khabar-24.
“Gas levels are normal. There are no visible signs of fire.”
Earlier statements said rescue operations in the two areas, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) apart, were hampered by power outages and vandalized equipment.
