RFE
20 Apr 2019, 23:45 GMT+10
At least 11 people have been killed and some 30 others injured in a bus crash in southern Kazakhstan, on a route used by Central Asian migrants to travel to Russia, the Kazakh Interior Ministry says.
The accident occurred on the Almaty-Tashkent highway in the Kordai district of the southern province of Zhambyl in the early morning of April 20, the ministry said. Authorities say there were Kazakh and Uzbek citizens among the victims.
Interim President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev expressed condolences to the families of the victims and said he has sent a telegram to the president of Uzbekistan.
Toqaev added that 'the situation on our roads is alarming, as I said at a meeting at the Interior Ministry. I instructed the government to take urgent measures.'
Ambulances, rescue teams, police, and other officials were dispatched to the scene, local media reported. Police have launched an investigation.
The route is widely used by Uzbek, Tajik, and other Central Asian migrant workers to travel to and from Russia, where millions of Central Asians are engaged in seasonal jobs in construction sites, factories, and farms.
In January 2018, 52 Uzbek citizens were killed when a bus carrying the migrant workers caught fire on a highway in Kazakhstan's northwestern Aqtobe region.
Investigators said the cause of the fire was an open flame on a portable gas cooker that was being used for heat inside the vehicle.
Survivors of that accident were quoted as saying that the bus didnt have a functioning heater and the passengers were using the device to warm themselves.
With reporting by Tengrinews.kz, RFE/RLs Kazakh Service, and dpa
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Republished with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
Get a daily dose of Professional Autos news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Professional Autos.
More InformationNEW YORK CITY, New York: With just weeks to spare before a potential government default, U.S. lawmakers passed a sweeping tax and spending...
PARIS, France: Fast-fashion giant Shein has been fined 40 million euros by France's antitrust authority over deceptive discount practices...
PALO ALTO/TEL AVIV: The battle for top AI talent has claimed another high-profile casualty—this time at Safe Superintelligence (SSI),...
FRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 6 (ANI): As a significant example of rapid infrastructural progress, the newly constructed flyover connecting...
Dubai [UAE], July 6 (ANI/WAM): Under the umbrella of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, Suqia UAE has contributed to...
Monte Carlo [Monaco], July 6 (ANI): Team Sea Sakthi from Kumaraguru College of Technology in India has been awarded the Communication...
BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday released a list of what it has determined to be the 30 most pressing scientific questions,...
Karachi [Pakistan], July 6 (ANI): The total death toll from the collapse of a five-storey building in the Lyari area of Pakistan's...
New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued an interim order to the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC)...