Kazakhstan was in national mourning on Sunday after 45 people died in a fire at an ArcelorMittal mine, the worst accident in the central Asian country’s post-Soviet history.
The tragedy, which struck at the Kostenko coalmine in the Karaganda region on Saturday, came after a series of deadly incidents at ArcelorMittal mines and has prompted the nationalisation of the company’s local affiliate.
“As of 3pm (0900 GMT), the bodies of 42 people were found,” Kazakhstan’s emergency services said on social media. “The search for four miners continues.”
Later, authorities said the bodies of three others had been found and rescuers were searching for the last missing miner, but held little hope of finding him alive.
Rescuers had earlier warned that chances of finding the remaining miners alive were “very low” due to the lack of ventilation and the force of Saturday’s explosion, which spread over 2km (1.2 miles).
The previous deadliest mine accident in post-Soviet Kazakhstan occurred in 2006, killing 41 miners at another ArcelorMittal site. It came two months after another incident that killed five miners.
Anger and disbelief reigned after the disaster in Karaganda, central Kazakhstan. “Every miner is a hero, because when he goes down, he does not know if he will come back or not,” said Sergei Glazkov, a former miner.
Many welcomed the government’s move towards nationalisation, angered by the company’s safety record. Daniar Mustafin, a 42-year-old salesman, said he favoured “full nationalisation without material compensation for the current owners”.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered cooperation with the Luxembourg-based company to be “brought to an end”.
Speaking to victims’ relatives at the mine, Tokayev called ArcelorMittal “the worst enterprise in Kazakhstan’s history in terms of cooperation with the government”.
The Kazakh government and the steel giant announced a preliminary agreement to “transfer ownership of the [local] firm in favour of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, said the prime minister, Alikhan Smailov.
“ArcelorMittal can confirm that the two parties have … signed a preliminary agreement for a transaction that will transfer ownership to the Republic of Kazakhstan,” the global steel company stated, adding it was committed to “finalising this transaction as soon as possible”.
On Sunday, flags were flown at half-mast to mark the day of national mourning declared by Tokayev.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, about 200 miners have died in Kazakhstan, the vast majority at ArcelorMittal sites.
There were 252 people inside the mine when the fire started, ArcelorMittal said.
Outside a hospital in Karaganda, relatives of those who had survived the blast were thanking the heavens. “His guardian angel saved him. He is alive,” said Nikolai Bralin, the brother of an injured miner. “Two of his ribs were slightly torn apart from the blow and he had surgery to put them back in place.”
Local politicians have also called for the immediate nationalisation of the company. “They must answer before a court because they did not ensure people’s safety,” said Kudaibergen Beksultanov, the local MP. “The state needs to take it upon itself now.”
Alexei Svistunov, a 48-year-old security guard, told AFP in Karaganda: “In order for people not to die, the government needs to oversee the process and there [needs to] be criminal responsibility.”
ArcelorMittal’s arrival in Kazakhstan in 1995 was initially seen as a beacon of hope during the economic slump that followed the fall of communism.
But a lack of investment and inadequate safety standards were repeatedly criticised by the authorities, while trade unions called for tighter government control.
Led by the Indian businessman Lakshmi Mittal, the group operates 15 factories and mines in the centre of the former Soviet republic.