Over the week-end an AML train transporting a crane to Yekepa collapsed on a bridge at the border between Grand Bassa County and Bong County, causing serious damage to the bridge.
“They were transporting an oversized crane to Yekepa. It could take at least three months to repair the bridge. The crane was too heavy and it hit the bridge.” Daniel Kollie, a resident of the area said.
The derailment took place at 158 km from Buchanan at border between Grand Bassa and Bong counties on the St. John Bridge.
According to eyewitnesses the train was carrying a crane and few project cargos to Yekepa when the derailment took place.
“The crane oversized the wagons when it passed by us. Few minutes later we heard that heavy sound on the bridge. When we got here we saw the bridge damaged. People who were closer said that the crane hit the bridge.” Martha Kpadeh, 45, resident of the area, said.
This incident happened barely a week after Arcelor MITTAL was asked to leave Kazakhstan following a deadly incident in a mine of the Asian country.
At least 32 persons died in Kazakhstan in a new incident at a mining site of Arcelor MITTAL, authorities of that Central Asian country announced on Saturday October 29, 2023.
According to France 24, Kazakhstan has ordered to put an end to the cooperation with the World Steel giant and has assured that the subsidiary of Arcelor MITTAL in the country will be state-owned.
“The Government has received the order to put an end to the investment cooperation with Arcelor MITTAL Temirtau.” A communique from the office of the President of Kazakhstan said on Saturday October 29, 2023.
The Government has also expressed its desire to seize control of the company’s local subsidiary which confirmed in the afternoon hours that negotiations were ongoing to have it as state-run company.
According to a new death toll release by the authorities, 32 workers have died in the incident and 14 others are un-accounted for, and this incident is said to be the worst one in the history of Kazakhstan.
“At 4pm 32 bodies of workers were found in the mine of Kostenko, we are still looking for 14 more workers.” A press release from the Ministry of Emergency situations stipulated.
In a precedent incident, Arcelor MITTAL had announced 21 deaths, 208 evacuated and 23 disappearances in the Kostenko mine.
This is the worst mining incident in Kazakhstan since 2006, when 41 workers died in a mining site of Arcelor MITTAL and a second deadly incident in just two months later in another site of Arcelor MITTAL.
ArcelorMittal is operating 15 factories and mining sites in this industrial zone extremely polluted of this immense ex-republic of the Soviet-Union rich in natural resources.
The Kazakh Government has during the past few months denounced the “systematic character” of the incidents in areas where Arcelor MITTAL is operating.
Kazakhstan which is the first economy of central Asia, has oil, gas, uranium, manganese, iron ores, chrome, as well as coal.
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