Minsk metro blast leaves several dead
Twelve people were killed and scores injured in an explosion in Minsk metro during the evening rush hour on Monday, Kazakhstan Today reports.
Almaty. April 12. Kazakhstan Today - Twelve people were killed and scores injured in an explosion in Minsk metro during the evening rush hour on Monday, Kazakhstan Today reports.
A blast tore through a metro station near Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko's main office in the capital Minsk on Monday, killing at least five and wounding several commuters, according to reports, The Telegraph reported.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, which hit the Oktyabrskaya metro station in the city centre.
The exit to the metro leads directly to both Mr Lukashenko's main working office and his residence. Ambulances and fire engines were seen racing to the scene.
Witnesses told AFP that dark plumes of smoke rose from the station tunnel, with dozens of people walking out in a daze, covered in pieces plaster and their clothing tattered.
At least one person had both legs maimed by the blast, a witness said.
Belarus' state news agency Belta said several people had been killed in the blast, without giving further details.
The Interfax news agency separately said that at least 30 people were carried out on stretchers from the station.
The RIA Novosti news agency reported that at least 10 people were hurt in the blast, adding that the ceiling of the underground station may be in danger of collapse.
The explosion comes amid growing political tensions inside Belarus linked to the trials of opposition members who rallied against Mr Lukashenko's controversial re-election on December 19.
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated through central Minsk on election night after Mr Lukashenko's overwhelming victory was announced, with police wielding truncheons moving in against the protesters and arresting hundreds.
Several presidential candidates remain in KGB jails, facing prison terms of up to 15 years for organising riots and mass disorders.
Dozens of other opposition leaders face shorter jail terms in trials that began this year.
The arrests have added to the Lukashenko regime's growing international isolation, with both the European Union and the United States announcing travel bans and economic sanctions against some Belarussian state companies.
However despite the political unrest, Belarus is normally considered a safe country and has never been touched by large-scale militant attacks such as those carried out by Islamist militants in Moscow.
On March 29, 2010, 40 people were killed and dozens wounded by two female suicide bombers during the morning rush hour on the Moscow metro.
In January this year, 37 people were killed in a suicide blast at Moscow's Domodedovo airport.
The man who claimed those attacks, Russia's most wanted Islamist rebel Doku Umarov, whom the Russian authorities hoped to have killed in an air strike last month, is alive and preparing reprisals, according to an audiotape.
A man purporting to be Umarov telephoned the North Caucasus service of Radio Free Europe, saying that he was "absolutely healthy" in a message in the Chechen language, the radio said on its website last week.
Photo: itar-tass.com.
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Number of dead seals along Caspian coast rises to 850
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Another 115 carcasses of dead seals have been gathered on the Caspian Sea coast and delivered from the Aktau recreation area to the Kuryk Port, Kazinform News Agency reports.
Thus, the number of dead seals has already reached 850.
According to Andrey Rutskoy, acting chief of Mangistau region’s fishery inspection department, a working group consisting of inspectors, ecologists, local officials and representatives of public associations, is examining the beach. "Rocky beaches are hard to reach. The working group will go there on foot," he said.
He added that collecting samples from the last seals found is impossible, as the carcasses decomposed at the 3rd and 4th stages. The results of the samples taken at the end of October are not ready yet.
Recall that from October 24 to 28, 289 carcasses of dead seals were discovered by the employees of the Zhaiyk-Caspian Interregional Basin Fisheries Inspectorate together with the representatives of the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology. Over half of the dead female seals were pregnant, Assel Baimukanova, an operator at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, said.
In 2020, the Caspian seal was included in Kazakhstan’s Red Book of Endangered Species.
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Large boulder kills three people in Uzbekistan
Images | the road safety service of the Republic of Uzbekistan
A massive boulder fell from a mountain in southern Uzbekistan and smashed a passing Chevrolet Cobalt vehicle, killing three people inside, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to the road safety service, the incident took place at the Takhtakaracha pass in Kashkadarya region on November 6.
Due to the incident that occurred at the 1138th km of the M-39 Tashkent-Termez highway at Takhtakaracha pass in the Kitob district of the Kashkadarya province and links Samarkand and Kashkadarya regions, traffic was temporarily halted," the road safety service stated.
Recall that a total 19,302 road accidents, affecting more than 26,703 individuals have been recorded in Kazakhstan over the course of nine months in 2024.
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Earthquake hits Almaty
The citizens of Almaty felt an earthquake today, at around 10:00 am, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to the national seismological center, the quake’s preliminary magnitude was 4.5, local emergencies authorities said.
The epicenter of the quake was 33 kilometers east of Almaty, in the territory of Kazakhstan. The coordinates of the epicenter are 43.261 north latitude, and 77.310 east longitude.
The earthquake was felt in the following settlements: Almaty - 3 points, Talgar - 4 points, Yessik - 4 points, Turgen village - 3 points, Otegen Batyr village - 3 points, Boralday village - 2 points, Malovodnoye village - 2 points, Kaiypov village - 2 points, Alatau (Zhetigen) - 2 points, and Karassai (Kaskelen) - 2 points.
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Wildfires in Pavlodar region extinguished, localized in Karaganda region
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The wildfire in Pavlodar region has been extinguished, Kazinform News Agency learned from the ministry of emergencies.
The wildfire in Pavlodar region has been extinguished. The area of the fire is being determined," a statement from the ministry reads.
As reported, on October 6, a steppe fire broke out in Karaganda region, which then spread to the territory of Pavlodar region. The fire covered an area of 3,000 hectares. At 02:20 the fire, which had already spread to an area of 10,000 hectares in the Bayanaul district of Pavlodar region, was localized.
18 residents of Zheltau village in Pavlodar region, including eight children, were evacuated to a safe area.
The wildfire in Karaganda region was localized. The area of the fire is being determined.
33-year-old firefighter from Saran town, Karaganda region, Khali Khairat, died during the steppe fire in Karkaraly district on Sunday, October 6. Another four firefighters got injuries and were hospitalized.
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One firefighter died, four injured in steppe fire in Karaganda region
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
33-year-old firefighter from Saran town, Karaganda region, died during the steppe fire in Karkaraly district on Sunday, October 6. Another four firefighters got injuries and were hospitalized, Kazinform News Agency learned from the local emergencies department.
Khali Khairat has served in the civil protection authorities since May 12, 2014. Governor of the region Yermaganbet Bulekpayev and Mayor of Saran Yerkin Baulikov visited his family and expressed their condolences. Local officials provided necessary assistance in the organization of the funeral.
The regional healthcare department revealed the condition of the four injured firefighters. All of them were taken to the Karkaraly Central Hospital, after which they were transported to the Makazhanov Multifunctional Clinic. Their condition is stable, health authorities said.
On October 6, a steppe fire broke out in the Karkaraly district of Karaganda region. To extinguish the fire, all services of the Ministry of Emergencies were involved, including 111 emergency response officers, law enforcement agencies, 27 units of various vehicles and equipment, and a fire extinguishing operations center was deployed. The governor of the region held a meeting with the operational headquarters at the scene of the incident.
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Passenger bus falls off bridge on a minivan in Almaty region
Images | gov.kz
A passenger bus crashed through the guardrails on a bridge and fell on a minibus in Kaskelen, Almaty region, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The video capturing the crash was shared on social media. A criminal case was initiated.
The Yutong Bus driver reportedly lost control turning on the bride, crashed through the guardrails, and plunged on the Mercedes Benz Sprinter minivan. No casualties were reported. The critically injured bus driver was rushed to the intensive care unit, the police department said in a statement.
The bus driver tested negative for alcohol.
For the past four years, nearly 1,000 road accidents involving public transport occurred in Almaty.
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