A fire occurred at KAZ Minerals mines in the Abai region, prompting urgent evacuation of workers. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
According to Yermek Dyuzenkeyev, manager of the corporate communications department of KAZ Minerals Group, the first incident occurred on August 8 at 22:05 at the 10th ore horizon of the Orlov mine.
"The mine rescue service was mobilized to inspect the mine workings and eliminate the source of smoke. During the inspection, it was found that the smoke was in the area of the Monomatic drilling rig," said Yermek Dyuzenkeyev.
The source of smoke was quickly eliminated. There were no casualties. "However, the drilling rig was damaged. According to preliminary data, the smoke could have been caused by damage to the electrical cable. The exact causes and circumstances of the incident are being determined. The mine is operating normally," said Yermek Dyuzenkeyev.
The second incident occurred on August 9 at about 12:00 at the No. 1 ore processing plant in Aktogai. "During scheduled preventive repair work at the high-pressure crusher section, a fire broke out. The initial source of the fire was in the screen area. The work at this site was carried out by employees of a contractor organization," said a company representative.
There were no casualties, including no reports of medical assistance due to smoke. Twenty people were evacuated from the production site. The fire was quickly extinguished, and there is currently no smoldering or smoke, the company said.
"There is no threat to neighboring buildings, conveyors, and other production sites. No environmental consequences have been recorded," said Yermek Dyuzenkeyev.
The incident is currently being investigated by a commission. Material damage is being determined.