4 killed, dozens injured in Kazakhstan ammunition depot blast
Baku, August 27, AZERTAC
Four servicemen were killed and dozens injured in a series of explosions in southern Kazakh city of Taraz on Thursday night, authorities said Friday, according to Xinhua.
At a press briefing held on Friday, Defense Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev said four servicemen have died while eliminating the consequences of the accident, and several people went missing.
There are no civilians among the dead and injured, he noted.
The depot of the engineering and sapper brigade of the ministry is located in the village of Kainar of the Bayzak District of the Zhambyl Region.
Residents of four nearby villages are being evacuated. Patrols are conducted in evacuated settlements to prevent looting. Railways and highways around the area are blocked, the ministry said.
Russian broadcaster RT reported ealier that the fire has resulted in at least six explosions, leaving 66 people injured, and 28 of them were still being treated in hospital.
There are no more explosions at the ammunition warehouse, but the fire is still raging, the Kazakh defense ministry was quoted as saying.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev tweeted on Thursday that the ministers of Defense, Emergency Situations, and Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs flew to Zhambyl region.
Causes of the incident are still unknown, but the ministry said it can be caused by the burning of stored TNT. A commission had been set up to determine the cause.
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