4 dead, dozens injured in Kazakhstan ammunition depot blast

Four servicemen were killed and dozens injured in a series of explosions at an ammunition deport in the Kazakh city of Taraz, authorities said on Friday.

At a press briefing here, Defence Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev said that several people were also reported missing, reports Xinhua news agency.

There are no civilians among the dead and injured, he noted.

The depot of the engineering and sapper brigade of the Ministry is located in the village of Kainar.

Residents of the four nearby villages were being evacuated, while patrolling was underway in evacuated settlements to prevent looting.

Railways and highways around the area are blocked, the Ministry said.


Russian broadcaster RT reported earlier that the fire has resulted in at least six explosions, leaving 66 people injured, and 28 of them were still being treated in hospital.

Although there were no new explosions at the ammunition warehouse, the fire is still raging, the Kazakh Defence Ministry was quoted as saying.

Causes of the incident are still unknown, but the Ministry said it can be caused by the burning of stored TNT.

A commission had been set up to determine the cause.-IANS