At least 32 dead, 18 missing after mine fire in Kazakhstan

At least 32 people died and 18 remained missing after a mine fire in Kazakhstan, the Ministry for Emergency Situations said. Operator ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the local unit of the Luxembourg-based steelmaker, said that 206 of 252 people at the Kostenko mine had been evacuated after what appeared to be a methane blast while 18 people had sought medical attention.

Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed condolences to the victims' families and declared a national day of mourning on October 29. He also ordered his cabinet to stop investment cooperation with ArcelorMittal Temirtau while the government and company said that they were working to finalise a deal to nationalise the company, which operates the country's biggest steel mill.

Read more: Israel's update on Hamas war: Entered north Gaza, still 'in the field'

"ArcelorMittal can also confirm, as communicated earlier today by the government of Kazakhstan, that the two parties have been in discussions concerning the future of ArcelorMittal Temirtau and recently signed a preliminary agreement for a transaction that will transfer ownership to the Republic of Kazakhstan," the miner said.

“ArcelorMittal is committed to completing this transaction as soon as possible in order to minimise disruption to the greatest extent possible,”it added.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.