ALMATY: At least 11 people have died in a fire at a mine in Kazakhstan belonging to global steel giant ArcelorMittal, local officials said Saturday.
"A fire broke out at the Kostenko mine, resulting in the deaths of 11 people, while 18 victims with various degrees of injury were taken to hospital," regional authorities said in a statement.
"Of the 252 miners present at the time of the tragedy, 205 miners were brought to the surface," the statement added.
The fire took place near the town of Karaganda, an industrial region in central Kazakhstan.
It was the second fatal incident in two months at an ArcelorMittal site, after five miners were killed in an accident at one of the group's Kazakh mines in August.
ArcelorMittal is regularly criticised for failing to comply with safety and environmental standards, with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev previously threatening to ban the group from operating in Kazakhstan.