Over 85,000 people rescued from flood-hit areas in Kazakhstan

More than 85,000 people including 30,000 children have been rescued and evacuated from flood-hit areas of Kazakhstan by the civil protection services, Kazinform News Agency learned from the Ministry of Emergencies.

According to chief officer of the Ministry’s Civil Protection Committee Yerassyl Saipash, relief efforts involve 16,000 people, more than 2,800 vehicles, 441 water pumps and 131 boats.

“The civil protection services have rescued and evacuated more than 85,000 citizens, including 30,000 children. 8,349 people have been placed in temporary evacuation shelters. 3,809 of them are children,” he said at a briefing in the Central Communications Office.

In his words, the personnel of the Ministry of Emergencies and local executive authorities have pumped out 8 million cubic meters of meltwater and laid over 1,192,000 sandbags and 1 ton of inert materials.

State of emergency of local level was declared in Aktobe, Kostanay, West Kazakhstan, Ulytau, Akmola, Karaganda, Atyrau, Pavlodar, and North Kazakhstan region.

Republican and regional operational headquarters are functioning in 20 regions.