Kazakh Court Convicts Eight in 2006 Mine Blast That Killed 41

KODE PPC ANDA

A Kazakh court on Monday convicted eight workers of negligence in connection with an explosion at a Mittal-owned coal mine that killed 41 people last year, a union official and a defense lawyer said.

Five of the defendants were sentenced to between one and 3 1/2 years in prison in connection with the September blast at the Lenin mine, said Viktor Abramenkov, an official with mine's trade union.

The Shakhtinsk District Court gave three other employees suspended sentences, said Abramenkov and Oleg Kupriy, a defense lawyer for one of the engineers.

Lawyers for the defendants -- who included the mine's chief engineer and an electrician, among other employees -- were considering whether to appeal, Abramenkov said.

Kazakh authorities concluded the blast was caused by violations of safety rules.

The Lenin mine is one of eight in Kazakhstan that is part of Mittal Steel Co.-owned complex feeding the Temirtau smelter, which is one of the world's largest steel plants. In all, the mines employ about 25,000 people and extract about 12 million tones of coal a year.

The mines will become part of Arcelor Mittal, a company being formed by the merger of Mittal Steel Co. NV and Arcelor SA.

KODE PPC ANDA