Two people have been killed and five others injured following an explosion and fire at Glencore’s Kazzinc zinc and gold production facility in Ust-Kamenogorsk, eastern Kazakhstan, on Tuesday.
Preliminary findings indicate that the blast occurred during cleaning work on a smoke extractor unit, after which a fire broke out and part of the structure partially collapsed. Kazakhstan’s Emergency Situations Ministry confirmed that a dust-collection unit at the site had exploded, triggering the blaze. The fire has since been extinguished and rescue teams are searching the area for any further victims. No update was provided on the operational status of the facility.
Kazzinc, 70% owned by Glencore with the remaining 30% held by Kazakh sovereign fund Samruk-Kazyna, is Kazakhstan’s largest producer of zinc and also produces lead, copper, gold and silver. The facility in Ust-Kamenogorsk is one of the country’s most significant metals processing complexes.
The incident comes at a sensitive moment for the asset. Earlier this year Bloomberg reported that Glencore is closing in on a deal to sell its stake in Kazzinc to local businessman Shakhmurat Mutalip for as much as $4.5 billion — a transaction that, if completed, would represent one of the largest mining deals in Kazakhstan’s history.
