TWO people have been killed and five injured after an explosion and fire at a large zinc plant in eastern Kazakhstan majority-owned by Glencore, said Bloomberg News on Tuesday.
A dust-collection unit at the Kazzinc facility in Ust-Kamenogorsk exploded, triggering a blaze and causing partial collapse of one building, the Emergency Situations Ministry said. The fire has since been extinguished and rescue teams are searching for further victims, the newswire added.
Kazzinc’s complex combines zinc, lead and copper processing with a gold refinery. Glencore holds a 70% stake in the company, which is Kazakhstan’s largest zinc producer, said Bloomberg News.
A spokeswoman for Kazzinc declined to comment on operations at the site. In a separate statement the company said there appeared to be no emission of hazardous pollutants.
The incident comes as Glencore is in talks to sell its interest in Kazzinc to local businessman Shakhmurat Mutalip, as part of a series of transactions that could reshape Kazakhstan’s mining sector.
