Kazakhstan: 52 killed after bus catches fire in Aktau region; cause of blaze unknown

Fifty-two people were killed after a bus they were travelling in caught fire in Kazakhstan’s north-western Aktau region, the country’s interior ministry said on Thursday. “On January 18 at 10:30 am (0430 GMT), a bus caught fire … 55 passengers and two drivers were on board. Five passengers received medical assistance. The remainder were killed,” the ministry said, without elaborating on the cause of the fire. Only five passengers managed to escape the burning vehicle, the ministry said in a statement, saying it was unclear whether the passengers were Kazakh nationals or citizens from another country. The BBC reported that all of the victims are reportedly citizens of Uzbekistan, believed to be travelling to or from Russia. With inputs from Reuters and AP