Kazakhstan Coal Mine Explosion Kills Three

Three people have been killed in a coal mine explosion in central Kazakhstan following a methane outburst, according to local reports.

The collapse at the Tentekskaya mine in the Karaganda region in central Kazakhstan also left one miner seriously injured, mine operator ArcelorMittal said in a statement.

There were 94 people in the shaft at the time of the explosion.

The fate of four people who were in the emergency zone remains unknown, the Emergency Situations Ministry of Kazakhstan said in a statement.

It took 110 rescuers five hours to recover the three bodies as heavy concentrations of methane caused delays to rescue operations.

ArcelorMittal operates a steel plant in Kazakhstan and runs several mines to provide it with coking coal.