Thirteen people perished in a devastating fire at a hostel in Almaty, the largest city and former capital of Kazakhstan, as reported by authorities on Thursday.
The Emergency Situations Department of the city, located in southeastern Kazakhstan, stated that after extinguishing the blaze, rescue teams found the bodies of 13 individuals, with efforts currently underway to identify them.
According to the department's statement, the victims likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The affected hostel is situated on Adi Sharipov Street in the heart of the former capital. The fire reportedly broke out around 5:30 AM local time on Thursday (23:30 GMT Wednesday).
The statement noted that firefighting teams arrived seven minutes after receiving the alert, only to find the lower floor of the three-story residential building ablaze.
The Emergency Situations Department revealed that 72 people were staying in the hostel at the time of the fire. Fortunately, 59 of these residents were evacuated safely.
By 6:22 AM, the fire had been completely extinguished. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
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