Severe Windstorm Hits East Kazakhstan

Strong windstorms swept through East Kazakhstan last weekend, causing widespread damage, Orda.kz reports.

Ridder was among the hardest hit, with hundreds of homes left without electricity, trees uprooted, roofs torn off, and grass fires ignited by the gusts.

According to the regional Akimat, over 1,200 electricity consumers in Ridder lost power due to the emergency shutdown of the L-61 line. An emergency response headquarters was established in the city, and local services were fully mobilized:

A rapid response headquarters has been created to coordinate actions. Utility and emergency services are working at an increased capacity. All citizen requests are being received and promptly processed. The situation is under the supervision of local authorities.

In Oskemen, the storm damaged the central dome of the Khalifa Altai mosque.

Restoration efforts are underway with the support of patrons and local businesses. Fallen trees, broken traffic lights, and scattered debris were reported throughout the city.

A fire briefly broke out on a balcony on Serikbayev Street but was quickly extinguished.

Damage was also reported in Ulan District. In the village of Bozanbay, 70 m² of cladding was torn off an extension of the Aigolek nursery. In Qasym Qaisenov village, 2,300 m² of artificial turf on a football field was damaged.

The city of Shemonaikha also suffered damage when the roof of a five-story building — repaired just a year earlier— was torn off over an area of 300 m².

First responders and Akimat representatives are on site.

The region also experienced a series of fires, with dry grass, garbage, and waste igniting in multiple locations. In Oskemen alone, fires broke out on several streets, including Kosmicheskaya, Zagorodnyaya, Salamat, and Satpayev, prompting large-scale firefighting efforts as flames neared residential buildings.

Fires were also reported across the region:

• Glubokovsky District, oil crop waste burned
• Katon-Karagaysky District, grass along roads ignited
  
• Kurchumsky District, open fields caught fire
  
• Markakolsky District, garbage and manure caught fire

The largest fire occurred in Ulan District, where 25 hectares of open land burned in the village of Aiyrtau. In Ridder, three grass fires were recorded within 24 hours but were extinguished before reaching homes.

Reportedly, no one has been harmed. Emergency services across the region continue to operate on high alert.

Original Author: Alina Pak