14 people die in fires in Kazakhstan

June 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –

A total of 14 people have died as a result of the forest fires declared in the Abai region, in Kazakhstan, which have devastated some 60,000 hectares in two days.

In the last few hours, eleven more bodies of missing persons have been located, as reported by the press office of the Ministry of Emergencies, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. These deceased are added to the three previously reported.

The high temperatures, the winds and the steep terrain have favored the spread of the fire, which could have been caused by lightning. The authorities have mobilized more than a thousand people and eleven helicopters.

The fire was finally declared under control this Saturday, reported the president of the Ministry’s Fire Commission, Nurbolat Derbisov, quoted by the Astana Times newspaper.

It has also been known this Saturday that the president, Kasim Yomart Tokayev, has dismissed the Minister of Emergency Situations, Yuri Ilin, and has appointed Sirim Sharipjanov to the post.