Frozen passengers rescued on highway in two regions of Kazakhstan
In the Karaganda region, emergency assistance was provided to bus passengers on the Almaty-Yekaterinburg highway. The Volvo bus stalled 30 kilometers from the village of Gulshat. It was discovered by patrol police battalion officers. They called an additional patrol police crew and evacuated the frozen passengers to a warming point. All passengers are currently safe.
"The vehicle, traveling from Almaty to Ekibastuz, stopped on the side of the road due to frozen diesel fuel. It was also established that the autonomous heater in the bus also failed, which created a threat to 15 passengers and the driver in the cabin. Police officers continue to provide assistance to ensure the further transportation of passengers to their destination," the press service of the Karaganda region Police Department reported.
In the Abai region, a Setra bus with 33 passengers stalled near the village of Zhangiz-Tobe Zharma District. The patrol police company crew that arrived promptly organized the transfer of all passengers to a passing bus.
"A Setra bus traveling along the Semey-Barlykarasan route broke down due to the freezing of the air system in severe frost conditions. At the time of the incident, there were 33 passengers on the bus. The police department strongly recommends that before going on country roads, carefully check the technical condition of the vehicle, especially systems sensitive to low temperatures, make sure that there is a sufficient supply of fuel, warm clothing and emergency communications," the Abai region Police Department urged motorists.
Stranded foreign passengers were rescued on Karaganda region highway
Recall that last night in the Karaganda region, near the village of Saryshagan, foreigners were rescued from a stalled bus traveling from Novosibirsk to Shymkent. 53 people were evacuated to a local mosque.
It is worth noting that earlier, meteorologists from Kazhydromet had warned about the approaching cold weather in certain regions of the republic. More details about the weather can be found here.