Hostel fire kills 13 people in Kazakhstan

Thirteen people died in a fire at a hostel in Kazakhstan's biggest city, Almaty, on Thursday, the city's emergencies department said in a statement.

Nine victims were Kazakhs, two people were from Russia and two from Uzbekistan, the Almaty police department said.

The fire broke out early in the morning in a three-storey building whose ground and basement levels were occupied by 72 hostel guests. The victims died from carbon monoxide poisoning, while the remaining 59 people managed to leave the building.

Four people sought medical help, including a student from India, Zakon.kz cited the authorities as saying.

The cause of the fire remained unclear. The government said it has set up a special commission to investigate it.