Three Uzbeks killed in explosion in Kazakhstan

On September 11 of this year, three Uzbek citizens were killed in an explosion at a scrap metal collection point in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan, the Zakon.kz reported, citing the regional police department.

’’The police have opened a criminal case regarding the tragic incident at one of the scrap metal collection points in the Ili district of Almaty region. As a result of the explosion of an unidentified object, three people were killed. Their bodies were found without signs of life. Emergency services, including police, fire safety officers, and paramedics, immediately arrived at the scene,’’ the statement said.

Currently, a pre-investigation inquiry is underway to determine the causes of the incident. The details of the explosion have not yet been disclosed. According to the official version, an unidentified object exploded during the process of receiving scrap metal. The owner of the facility suggested that a mine may have been among the collected metal.

’’There is a workshop behind us, rented by Chinese nationals. Apparently, they once bought scrap metal at a cheap price. They themselves did not know what was inside. I think the scrap may have included waste from the Ministry of Defense, and among it there could have been unexploded mines. Now all law enforcement and security agencies are here, conducting inspections,’’ said Amirbek Sherbaev, the owner of the collection point.

According to Nur.kz, criminal experts and representatives of the Ministry of Defense are working at the scene. The area has been sealed off, and no one is being allowed inside. The identities of the victims have been established. It has been confirmed that they were workers and all of them were citizens of Uzbekistan.

It is worth noting that earlier, three Uzbek citizens were killed in a tragic car accident in the Zainsk district of Tatarstan. The Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Kazan also confirmed this information, stating that contact had been established with local authorities to arrange the repatriation of the bodies to Uzbekistan.