Fire still raging at ArcelorMittal Temirtau coal mine in Kazakhstan - ministry

ASTANA. Aug 22 (Interfax) - Efforts to extinguish the fire at ArcelorMittal Temirtau's Kazakhstanskaya coal mine in Kazakhstan continue, but the fire is still raging, the Emergency Situations Ministry said on Tuesday.

"The fire in the Kazakhstanskaya mine was still raging at 8 am on August 22. The situation has not improved," the ministry said.

"Efforts to contain the fire are underway. A decision will be made to isolate the emergency area with gypsum blocks," according to the statement.

A fire broke out at the Kazakhstanskaya mine at 10:05 a.m. on August 17. A conveyor belt caught fire in the workings of coal slope D6 (horizon - 170 meters). There were 227 people in the mine, who were brought to the surface through the flank shaft; 222 miners were evacuated, 13 were hospitalized and five were found dead.

ArcelorMittal Temirtau is a part of the international steel concern Arcelor-Mittal. The company owns 15 coal mines and iron ore mines in Kazakhstan.