Three people were killed and 16 injured in an explosion at a former mosque in Akmola region, KazTAG reports , citing the region's Department of Emergency Situations.
"As a result, a man born in 1978 died. Under the rubble, rescuers found the body of a woman born in 1983 and a child born in 2012," the press service of the Akmola Region Department of Emergency Situations said in a statement.
A gas explosion reportedly occurred in the building of a former rural mosque where funeral dinners were being held. Rescuers who arrived found seven gas cylinders and removed six of them.
According to the information, 16 victims were taken to the Astana city hospital by an ambulance team.
At present, rescuers continue to clear the rubble. About 30 personnel and five units of equipment of the regional Department of Emergency Situations are working at the site. Specialists from the operational rescue squad, the center for disaster medicine, including psychologists, and the Astana canine service are also involved in eliminating the consequences.
“A research and testing fire laboratory of the Department of Emergency Situations of the Akmola Region and Astana has been appointed to determine the cause,” the report says.
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Cover : Photo — EMERCOM of the Republic of Kazakhstan