Kazakhstan Mourns 14 Forestry Workers Killed in Wildfire

After wildfires in the Abai region of Kazakhstan killed 14 forestry workers, the government issued a day of mourning as firefighters continue to battle the blaze.

^{Emergencies ministry specialists take part in an operation to contain wildfires in the eastern Abai region, Kazakhstan, June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Turar Kazangapov}

ALMATY (Reuters) - Flags were lowered across Kazakhstan on Monday as the country mourned 14 forestry workers killed in a wildfire in the eastern Abai region.

Firefighters were still struggling to contain the blaze raging across 43,000 hectares (106,000 acres) of land in the Central Asian nation, the government said.

Officials said they had last heard from the workers on Thursday last week and their bodies were found on Saturday.

^{An aerial view shows smoke from wildfires rising above a forest belt in the eastern Abai region, Kazakhstan, June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Turar Kazangapov}

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sacked Emergencies Minister Yuri Ilyin over the weekend, saying "criminal negligence" was behind the disaster.

The new minister, Syrym Sharipkhanov, said it could still take a few more days to extinguish the blaze, news website Tengrinews.kz reported.

He said about 1,500 people equipped with hundreds of vehicles and 12 helicopters were working at the scene, in the region the borders Russia and China.

^{An aerial view shows a burnt-out forest belt in the eastern Abai region, Kazakhstan, June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Turar Kazangapov}