In Kazakhstan, explosions at a military facility in Bayzakov district of the Jambyl province have killed at least five soldiers and wounded 90 people. According to the provincial government, 60 people have been hospitalised with injuries as a result of the blasts. The explosions occurred after a warehouse containing explosives caught fire.
The soldiers tried to extinguish the fire, but as they were doing so, things went wrong. According to army command, there were at least 10 heavy explosions. Settlements near a military facility were evacuated after being rocked by a series of powerful explosions.
As new explosions are expected, roads and railway lines in the surrounding area have also been closed.
The recent blasts are the third deadly explosion in the vicinity of the city in 10 years.
The Kazakh defence minister, Nurlan Yermekbayev, told media on Friday that he will resign.
“I have made up my mind, I will resign, will tender my resignation. The head of state will decide”, Yermekbayev told reporters. The minister said he made the decision “as soon as he heard” about the incident in the Zhambyl region. “For now, my primary task is to mitigate the consequences of this incident,” Yermekbayev said.
