In Kazakhstan, on the second day, a fire was extinguished at an ammunition depot, which killed 13 people

At a military warehouse in the Zhambyl region in the south of Kazakhstanwhere the ammunition exploded, they put out the fire. This was announced on Saturday by the country’s defense minister, Lieutenant General Nurlan Yermekbayev.

“The servicemen are working in the hearths, the fires have been extinguished, there are two smoldering storages,” he told reporters in the village of Sarykemer. Minister’s words Defense Ministry press service published on Saturday in Telegram.

The minister noted that all measures are being taken to ensure the complete safety of the population. According to him, residents of three evacuated villages have already returned to their homes. Several buildings remain abandoned, built directly near the fence of the military base.

On the evening of August 26, a fire broke out at the engineering ammunition depot of military unit No. 28349, stationed in the Bayzak district of the Zhambyl region. It caused the ammunition to detonate. In total, more than ten explosions thundered. The area of ​​the fire was almost 700 m2, transfers Interfax.

During the liquidation of the consequences of the explosions and fire, according to the latest data, 13 people died, including the military prosecutor of the southern region, Colonel of Justice Arman Kapezov. Three people are reported missing. About a hundred more people were injured, most of them rescuers, soldiers, prosecutors. Hundreds of residents of nearby settlements were evacuated. According to the Ministry of Defense, there are no casualties or injuries among the civilian population.

A criminal case was initiated under the article “Violation of the rules for handling weapons, as well as with substances and objects that pose a danger to others”, informs RFE / RL

The military department reported that ammunition delivered from a warehouse in Arys, where a similar tragedy occurred in 2019, was stored on the territory of the military unit. Then four people were killed and dozens of people were injured.

After the explosions in the Zhambyl region, Nurlan Yermekbayev, who has been the Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan since 2018, statedthat he will submit his letter of resignation. August 29 is declared the Day of National Mourning in Kazakhstan.