Number of victims of dike burst near Karaganda reaches 5

The number of victims of today's dam burst in Kokpekty village of Karaganda Oblast has reached 5, Tengrinews reports citing the Akim (Governor) of Karaganda Oblast.

Earlier, Tengrinews reported that four dead bodies were found in the flooded village during the rescue operations.

“The fifth body has been discovered. but there may be more, because the search operation is still on. About 300 houses have been flooded, two of the houses were partially destroyed. The amount of damage is being estimated. Law enforcement authorities are patrolling the village street 24/7 to prevent pillaging," the message said.

A criminal case was initiated in relation to the death of 5 people whose bodies were found during the rescue operations. However, according to reports, the fifth body was found outside the flooded area, so it is believed that the cause of this death was different from the other four and not related to dike burst.

Akim (Governor) of Karaganda Oblast Baurzhan Abdishev together with Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Bozhko inspected the flooded territory. They met with the village residents whose houses were flooded. "Everyone who has suffered from the flood in the village is going to get support. Medical aid, food and other necessaries, everything has been made available," Abdishev said.

A total of 400 people have been evaluated from the village that has over 800 houses. They were relocated to nearby schools or sent to their extended families and relative to visit. The operation's headquarters and the medical center were set in one of the schools. 9 people applied for medical aid, 6 of them were taken to the hospital hypothermia caused by excessive exposure to cold water. 

The dam burst at night at 1:30 a.m. and the water started subsiding only after 2:45 a.m. The level reach 1.8 meters at its peak in the village. According to the Emergencies Ministry of Kazakhstan, no water remained on the surface by noon, but the cellars of the houses remained flooded. Emergency teams were pumping out water from the cellars.

A special commission has already started evaluating the damages.