Prosecutor Seeks Prison Terms for Defendants in Kostenko Mine Disaster Case

Closing arguments have been heard in the Qaraganda Region court in the case of the explosion at the Kostenko mine, Orda.kz reports.

The prosecutor has requested prison terms for the defendants.

On trial are ten managers and members of the mine’s engineering and technical staff, including the mine director, the chief engineer, and the heads of the ventilation and conveyor transport sections. All have been charged under Part 3 of Article 277 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan (“Violation of safety rules in mining operations”).

The prosecutor has requested eight-year prison sentences for four of the defendants, and six- to seven-year sentences for the others.

In October 2023, 46 people were killed and 28 were injured in the explosion at the Kostenko mine. At the time, coal mines in the Qaraganda Region were owned by the company ArcelorMittal Temirtau.

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