Almaty, 22 October. An explosion of a gas-air mixture, not followed by fire, occurred in a three-storey residential building on Kapparov Street in Almaty's Medeu district, in the Esentai City complex; two minors suffered minor injuries and were sent home after examination, the city akim's press service said.
According to the akimat's preliminary information, a natural gas leak may have been the cause. The injured were children born in 2015 and 2017; doctors treated them and hospitalisation was not needed. The first reports and videos appeared on social media in the morning: according to residents, three flats were damaged, and the author of one video suggested the blast had occurred underground. The akimat's official statement does not use the word "explosion": state bodies call such cases a "pop" of a gas-air mixture, that is, an explosion without subsequent burning.
The emergency service of the gas company QazaqGaz Aimaq responded to a call to the 104 number. Its lead engineer Kairbek Aktleuov told BES.media that specialists shut off the gas supply and found an open gas outlet on the pipeline. "At the time of the inspection there was an open gas outlet on the pipeline," he said, but declined to say that the leak was the cause and did not assess damage to the building, explaining that this was outside his competence.
The KazTAG agency noted that before the akimat's confirmation it had been unable to get comment from the press services of the Emergency Situations Ministry and the city emergencies department. The exact causes and circumstances are being established by the responsible services; there is no information yet on the extent of damage to the building.
What it means: A gas-air mixture exploded in an apartment building; nobody was seriously hurt, but the cause — a leak or a fault in the gas pipeline — has still to be established, as has the condition of the building.
Who benefits: Nobody benefits from the incident. The findings of the inspection matter to the residents, who need to know whether it is safe to stay, and to the gas company QazaqGaz Aimaq, which is responsible for the network.
Background: The emergency service received the report through the 104 number; the gas company's specialists shut off the gas supply to the building.
List of sources used: KazTAG, BES.media, Qumash
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
