Full inspection will be conducted at ArcelorMittal Temirtau - Kazakh government

ALMATY. Jan 12 (Interfax) - A comprehensive inspection will be carried out at ArcelorMittal Temirtau with the participation of independent consultants, the press service of the Kazakh government said in a press release.

Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov held a meeting with ArcelorMittal Vice-President Vijay Goyal and CEO Nair Biju.

"Pursuant to the memorandum signed by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development and ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the Kazakh side attracted independent international consultants to conduct a financial, technical and environmental audit of the enterprise," Smailov is quoted as saying.

Vijay Goyal pledged full cooperation and support for the inspection.

The government sent ArcelorMittal Temirtau a schedule of the inspection.

On the night of November 3, 2022 an outburst of gas led to the death of five workers and injured four in the Lenin Mine of ArcelorMittal Temirtau in the town of Shakhtinsk in Karaganda region during the drilling of gas-draining boreholes.

The government's commission for investigation later arrived at a conclusion that ArcelorMittal Temirtau was solely responsible for the accident. Among the causes of the accident the investigation report mentioned unsatisfactory organization of the work process and a lack of proper supervision by the engineers and technical personnel both from the coal department of ArcelorMittal and the Lenin Mine.

The investigation commission named 26 officials from ArcelorMittal Temirtau as suspects in the case, including senior managers of the company and technical specialists from the Lenin Mine. Emergency Minister Yuri Ilyin, which led the investigation commission, said that among the suspects were foreign citizens, the leadership of the coal department and the senior managers of ArcelorMittal.

ArcelorMittal Temirtau operates 15 coal and iron ore mines in Kazakhstan.