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| Kazakhstan bus fire kills 52 with few survivors | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A bus has caught fire in north-western Kazakhstan, killing 52 people, the interior ministry has said. | A bus has caught fire in north-western Kazakhstan, killing 52 people, the interior ministry has said. |
| Five people managed to get out and were treated by rescue workers on the spot, reports said. | Five people managed to get out and were treated by rescue workers on the spot, reports said. |
| The accident happened at 10:30 local time on Thursday (04:30 GMT) in the Irgiz district of Aktobe region. | The accident happened at 10:30 local time on Thursday (04:30 GMT) in the Irgiz district of Aktobe region. |
| The bus is thought to have been carrying Uzbek citizens to or from Russia along the Samara-Shymkent route, said local media. | The bus is thought to have been carrying Uzbek citizens to or from Russia along the Samara-Shymkent route, said local media. |
| The route, which is about 2,200km (1,300 miles) long, is frequently used by Uzbek migrant labourers travelling to construction sites in Russia, observers say. | The route, which is about 2,200km (1,300 miles) long, is frequently used by Uzbek migrant labourers travelling to construction sites in Russia, observers say. |
| The emergency services ministry told AFP news agency that 55 passengers and two drivers had been aboard the bus. | The emergency services ministry told AFP news agency that 55 passengers and two drivers had been aboard the bus. |
| "Five passengers received medical assistance. The remainder were killed," it said in a statement. | "Five passengers received medical assistance. The remainder were killed," it said in a statement. |
| One of the drivers said the passengers were Uzbek nationals and the vehicle was registered in Kazakhstan, ministry official Ruslan Imankulov told AFP. | |
| He said the blaze spread very quickly through the bus - an Ikarus model made in Hungary. These buses are still used in former Soviet nations, and are often decades old. | |
| It is unclear what caused the blaze. | |
| Emergency officials have opened a telephone hotline for worried relatives. | Emergency officials have opened a telephone hotline for worried relatives. |
| A local journalist, Askar Aktileu, posted a picture of the burned-out wreckage on his Instagram page. | A local journalist, Askar Aktileu, posted a picture of the burned-out wreckage on his Instagram page. |