Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: The rupture of a dam on the Kokpekty River in Kazakhstan provoked flooding which killed five people, Kazinform reported.
Dwellers of the Kokpekty village born in 1924, 1926, 1942, 1963 and 1979 died in the flooding, Kazakh Emergency Situations Vladimir Bozhko said on April 1.
The minister said that 125 people were rescued. Some 26 people sought medical assistance, five of them were hospitalized mainly due to hypothermia and nervous stress.
Vladimir Bozhko said that the ministry was informed on the reservoir overflow on March 30, 18:33. The villagers along the river were informed of the situation and 70 houses located near the river were evacuated. About 210 evacuated people were accommodated at the school in Kokpekty and relatives' houses.
Rescuers tried to dig an additional water channel, but failed because of cliffy soil. The dam ruptured on March 31, 01:30 as a result. A water wave measuring from 1.5 to 1.8 meters hit areas of the village, Bozhko said.
Some 149 houses were flooded, 15 houses are half-destroyed in the village, according to preliminary data.
Kokpekty's population exceeds 2,500 people. The ruptured dam was commissioned in 1951.
Edited by C.N.
