The number of casualties from the explosion at the Kostenko mine of ArcelorMittal Temirtau has risen to 38 (as of 2 p.m., October 29), with eight miners still missing as the search continues, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been receiving condolences from heads of foreign states, governments, and international organizations following the devastating incident at the Kostenko mine in the Karaganda region. The global leaders extend their heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased miners and wish a swift recovery to the injured.
During telephone conversations and via telegrams, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan conveyed their condolences to President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Head (Rais) of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Secretary-General of TURKSOY Sultan Raev, and others have all shared words of sympathy and support for the affected families and friends.
The incident occurred on October 28 at 2:33 a.m. at the Kostenko mine, where a fire broke out in the longwall (underground mine) situated at a depth of approximately 700 meters. At the time, there were 252 individuals in the mine, out of which 206 managed to safely ascend to the surface.