In the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan, the fire at the Kazakhstanskaya coal mine of ArcelorMittal Temirtau JSC (AMT), which began on the morning of August 17, cannot yet be extinguished, Interfax reports citing the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations.
“The situation at the mine “Kazakhstanskaya” as of 8:00 am on August 22: the intensity of fires in the emergency working is not decreasing, there is no improvement in the situation,” the ministry said in a statement.
According to the source, every effort is being made to contain the fire. It was decided to isolate the emergency section by erecting gypsum bridges.
Earlier it was reported that on the morning of August 17, a conveyor belt caught fire in the mine at a level of 170 m. At the time of the fire, 227 people were underground. 222 miners were evacuated, of which 13 were injured. Five people died, the youngest of them was 27 years old, the oldest – 58.
JSC “ArcelorMittal Temirtau” is a part of the international steel concern Arcelor-Mittal. The company owns 15 coal mines and iron ore mines in Kazakhstan.