At least nine people were killed after part of an apartment building collapsed in central Kazakhstan, the country’s authorities said on Monday (Jan 2). 

“Nine dead people were pulled from the rubble” of the building in the village of Shakhan following the collapse late on Sunday, the emergencies committee of the interior ministry in the central Asian nation said in a statement. 

It said the victims include three men, three women and three children. A 32-year-old man had been pulled alive from the rubble. 

The ministry said it had dispatched 70 emergency workers to take part in the rescue operation. 

The remaining residents of the building have been evacuated. 

A government committee has been set up to probe the incident, the ministry said. 

Building collapses are not uncommon throughout the former Soviet Union, either due to faulty construction or worn-out infrastructure. ---AFP 

Source:NNA