Telecom provider KDDI apologised for a fire that broke out beneath a car operated by one of its subsidiaries and spread to surrounding grassland in Mongolia.
The fire broke out on Oct 8 and raged for eight days in the far east of Mongolia near the Chinese border, burning almost 5,300sq km, according to the Mongolian government.
The burned area included about 80% of the Numrug Strictly Protected Area, a nature reserve home to rare wildlife.
“We would like to extend our deepest apologies to the people of Mongolia and all those affected for the considerable inconvenience and concern this incident has caused,” KDDI said in a statement on Friday.
According to the company, two vehicles operated by its subsidiary Mobicom were travelling at low speed through the park during a visit requested by the border port authority.
Under safety protocols, the vehicles were required to stop every 20 to 30 minutes to remove dry grass lodged underneath them and reduce the risk of fire.
“On Oct 8, smoke was observed coming from underneath a Mobicom car after it stopped to clear away dry grass,” the company said.
Officials and employees “attempted to extinguish the fire, but the flames spread to the surrounding grass and were unable to prevent the fire from spreading further”, it said.
KDDI added that it was taking the environmental impact seriously and intended to fully cooperate with local authorities. — AFP
