By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - A fire in a hostel in the city of Almaty killed 13 people, the Kazakh Emergency Ministry said on Thursday.
"On Nov. 30 ... a fire was reported on Adi Sharipov Street in the city of Almaty. The first fire department arrived at the scene in seven minutes. At the time of arrival, the basement of a three-story residential building was burning, where the first floor and basement were converted into a hostel," it said in a statement.
While extinguishing, the rescuers found 13 bodies. Their identities are being established, and two more people were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning, it noted.
According to the latest data, 72 people were in the hostel at the time of the incident, 59 were left the premises after the fire broke out.
The fire was extinguished, 46 rescuers and 13 pieces of equipment from the emergency ministry are working at the scene, clearing the rubble.
The reasons for the incident are being established.