Over 400 travelers rescued from snow traps in Karaganda region
Rescuers of the Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Response conducted a massive 24-hour operation on regional highways, Qazinform News Agency reports.
It is reported that hundreds of people, including children, were evacuated from snowdrifts and stranded vehicles.
Over the past day, Emergency Ministry rescuers successfully evacuated 407 people stranded on the region's roads.
In the Abai district, on the Astana–Karaganda–Almaty highway, rescuers transported 49 people, including 5 children, from a road blockage to the city of Karaganda.
In Karaganda, on a closed section of the highway, servicemen of the Emergency Ministry evacuated 30 people, including 4 children, from a cluster of vehicles. The individuals were delivered to the Temirtau bus station.
In the Bukhar-Zhyrau district, on the Karaganda–Doskey–Botakara regional road, rescuers evacuated 20 people, comprising 2 children, from five vehicles trapped in a snowdrift. They were taken to the Karaganda bus station.
Additionally, in the same district on the Kyzylorda–Zhezkazgan–Karaganda–Shiderty national highway near the village of Mayozek, nine people, including two children, were transported from three broken-down cars to a roadside campsite.
In the Osakarovka district, on the Nura–Osakarovka regional road, 12 people, including two children, were evacuated from four trucks and one passenger car stuck in the snow and taken to the village of Osakarovka.
Furthermore, on the Osakarovka–Molodezhny road, five people were rescued from three cars caught in a snowdrift. They were transported to the village of Pionerskoye.
Another major incident occurred on the Astana–Karaganda highway near the village of Oshagandy. There was a multi-vehicle accident. Rescuers using all-terrain buses, alongside a Disaster Medicine Center team, transported 111 people from the bottleneck to warming centers and medical facilities in Temirtau. The evacuees were provided with hot meals and necessary assistance.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Response, none of those evacuated required any medical aid.
Rescuers are urging residents and visitors to follow safety measures, monitor weather forecasts, and, if possible, avoid traveling far during severe winter weather.
Earlier, one person was killed in a weather-related vehicle pileup on the Astana-Karaganda highway.
