The fire at an illegal youth hostel in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, killed at least 13 people, the emergency department of the former Kazakh capital said.
“According to initial information, 13 dead were discovered; Your identity is being verified,” the regional administration said in a statement.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, two Russian nationals were among the victims.
The fire, reported early Thursday morning, broke out in the basement of a three-story building whose ground floor and basement have been converted into a youth hostel, the Almaty Hostel, the regional administration said.
It took firefighters nearly an hour to extinguish the flames, she said, adding that the victims died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to Almaty City Hall, the hostel had been operating in secret for a month and a half and the premises were intended to be used as a shop.
The city of Almaty gave “no permission” to convert a shop into a hostel, a city hall statement quoted by local media said.
“The youth hostel was opened illegally at this address, in violation of health and epidemiological regulations (…) and fire-fighting regulations,” she stressed.
According to initial information from local authorities, there were 72 people in the building and 59 people evacuated the area on their own. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire.