Rockfall at Alma-Arasan Gorge in Almaty nearly hits visitors

Visitors were present at the wellness complex during the incident, and one of them captured the event on video, which was later shared on social media. The man recounted that he was taking a shower when the rocks began to fall but managed to escape in time. The footage indicates significant damage to parts of the complex.

According to the Committee of Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, the rockfall occurred around 04:10 pm on May 2 at the radon springs in Alma-Arasan (Prokhodnoye Gorge). The gazebo structure and part of the changing area were damaged.

"Inspectors from the Ile-Alatau National Park conducted an on-site inspection and determined that the 31.8-ha land parcel housing the radon spring is not part of the national park's forest fund," the Committee noted.

According to forest management records from 2014 and documentation from the Almaty branch of the Government for Citizens Corporation dated October 16, 2023, the radon spring is located within the Bostandyk district of Almaty and the Almaty region.

Previously, it was reported that the Alma-Arasan radon spring, a key site in the Big Almaty Gorge, is slated for reconstruction in 2025. In the fall of 2019, the therapeutic thermal spring underwent renovations but was vandalized just two weeks after reopening, resulting in the destruction of the hydrogen sulfide spring on the premises.

As reported earlier, an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.6 occurred in the Caspian Sea at 6:13 p.m. local time on April 27.