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Death toll in Kazakhstan ammunition explosions climbs to three

A total of 145 bomb disposal experts have been dispatched to the scene

NUR-SULTAN, June 26. /TASS/. The death toll in massive ammunition explosions in the southern Kazakhstan’s town of Arys has grown to three, an official spokesman for the Interior Ministry’s emergencies committee, Nursultan Nurakhmetov, told reporters on Wednesday.

"According to the Healthcare Department of the Turkestansky Region, 70 people have sought medical assistance, 45 of them have been hospitalized, and three people have died," Nurakhmetov said.

Earlier reports said two people had been killed.

A total of 145 bomb disposal experts have been dispatched to the scene. Some 52 fires have been extinguished, including in 24 houses and at a cafe. Three fires continue smoldering at the military unit’s depots.

On June 24, a fire broke out at an ammunition depot of Kazakhstan's Armed Forces near the town of Arys, triggering a series of explosions. The residents of the town, home to nearly 45,000 people, have been evacuated to the nearby villages. Many buildings have been seriously damaged.