28 people sustained injuries following Kostenko coalmine explosion

 46 workers were killed and 28 sustained injuries as a result of the explosion at the Kostenko coalmine in Karaganda region, Tolegen Osspankulov, chairman of the labor and social protection committee of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of Kazakhstan, said, Kazinform Agency correspondent reports. 

He pointed out that the accident occurred in October after the August 17 tragedy at ArcelorMittal Temirtau’s Kazakhstanskaya coalmine, killing five miners.

As a result of the investigation carried out by the governmental commission, the employer was found 100% guilty as well as 27 senior officials of violating the labor safety requirements. The main causes of the accident were said to be conversion of mechanical energy into thermal due to the friction of conveyor belts over the jammed and slagged roller of the conveyer, improper labor organization, violation of requirements for safety when exploiting vehicles, and dusty conditions and air pollution from combustion products, leading to the deaths of works.

Following the commission’s work, 25 measures to eliminate the causes of the explosion and prevent such accidents in the future were developed. The measures were overlooked by the employer, which led to another accident in October at the Kostenko mine, killing 46 people and injuring 28, said Osspankulov at the press conference at the central communications service.

An explosion occurred at the ArcelorMittal Temirtau’s Kostenko coalmine at 2:33pm on October 28 this year. Of the 252 miners in the coalmine, 205 were taken to the surface.

A criminal investigation was launched into the accident by the General Prosecutor’s Office.

Prime minister Alikhan Smailov headed the governmental commission to investigate the causes of the accident. The Kazakh government also reached the preliminary agreement with the ArcelorMittal Temirtau shareholders and completes the contract on transferring the ownership rights to Kazakhstan.