Kazakhstan

The number of deaths in a mining accident in Kazakhstan has risen to 42, the authorities announced on Sunday. Four miners are still missing, but rescue workers have warned there is only a “very small” chance of finding them alive. The Kostenko mine was hit by an explosion on Saturday that spread over an underground area of two kilometres. The accident is the worst of its kind ever in Kazakhstan. The mine where the explosion took place on Saturday is owned by ArcelorMittal Temirtau. It is a local branch of the Luxembourg-based steel producer. There were a total of 252 people in the Kostenko mine. 206 of them were evacuated after what appears to have been a methane explosion. /ritzau/