Kazakhstan alarmed by disturbing number of road fatalities

NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM – 39 people were killed in 104 road accidents registered on highways across Kazakhstan over the past week, Minister of Internal Affairs Yerlan Turgumbayev revealed at a Tuesday session of the Government, Kazinform reports.

According to Minister Turgumbayev, 158 more people sustained various injuries in those car crashes which occurred in Turkestan, Almaty, Karaganda, Mangistau, Kostanay, North Kazakhstan and other regions of the country.

In his words, disturbing number of the fatal road accidents is mainly due to bad weather conditions, especially black ice covering highways in most regions of Kazakhstan.

Yerlan Turgumbayev claimed that many motorists ignore important weather alerts intended to get them out of harm’s way. They hit the road ending up in the car crashes caused by black ice, foggy conditions, low visibility, and blowing snow.

In this light, Prime Minister Askar Mamin called on akims (governors) of the regions and responsible agencies to ensure motorists safety on the roads.