Kazakhstan declares local state of emergency after riverbank collapse

A local state of emergency has been declared in the Karasai district of Kazakhstan's Almaty Region following erosion along the bank of the Aksai River that triggered a ground collapse near a quarry, the regional administration's press service said.

The incident occurred in the village of Zhanaturmys, where soil shifted in the northwestern section of the Aksai Quarry, operated by LLP Aksai Quarry, after the Aksai River eroded its bank, Caliber.Az reports, citing Kazakh media.

"Given the current situation, a local state of emergency has been declared in the Karasai district," the administration said in a statement.

As a precaution, residents of nine privately owned homes located near the affected area were temporarily relocated to a safe location, according to regional authorities.

Officials said specialists are surveying the site while engineering teams work to stabilize the area. A comprehensive package of engineering and recovery measures is underway, with 19 personnel and 14 pieces of equipment deployed to the site.

The emergency follows heavy rainfall on June 30, when the Aksai River overflowed its banks, flooding the grounds of a Toymart supermarket along the Tashkent Highway. Videos shared on social media showed several parked vehicles submerged in floodwaters.

According to the Almaty Region administration, no injuries have been reported. Authorities said the flooding was caused by heavy rainfall, the insufficient capacity of a drainage culvert, and debris that had accumulated in the riverbed.

Municipal services remain at the scene, clearing the river channel and carrying out recovery operations in the affected area.

By Vafa Guliyeva