A series of huge explosions at a military warehouse in southern Kazakhstan injured at least 66 people on the evening of August 26, local officials and witnesses said. 

The cause of the explosions in Bayzak district near the city of Taraz and the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border was not immediately known. The Ministry of Defence said the warehouse was used for storing engineering-purpose explosives. At least six explosions were reported. Amateur footage shared on social media showed a huge orange fireball as the explosion ripped through the munitions warehouse.

The Interior Ministry said at least 1,200 people had been evacuated from settlements near the stricken depot and that police were guarding the area to prevent looting and maintain public order.

The latest incident comes two years after deadly ammunition blasts in the town of Arys, located 67 kilometres west of Shymkent, killed four people and injured dozens of residents. The blasts led to 35,000 residents of the town fleeing their homes for Shymkent and nearby towns for several days, with 85% of Arys' buildings, made up of private houses, damaged by shockwaves, heavy smoke and flying debris. The Defence Ministry confirmed that some of the ammunition moved after the Arys incident was transferred to the Bayzak district site hit by the August 26 blasts.

The Bayzak incident took place at around 19:00 local time when a fire broke out at or near the military warehouse.

'Mainly shockwaves'

“The explosions are mainly manifesting as shockwaves, producing loud sounds and flames,” the ministry said in a press release, explaining that long-range projectiles were not being stored at the warehouse, meaning there was a limited risk of fragments of material flying out of the blaze, threatening surroundings.

The Shymkent Garrison military court in Kazakhstan's southern city of Shymkent on July 26 handed lengthy prison terms to 12 of 16 military officers as part of the Arys case. All of them were found guilty of negligence and violation of regulations on storing arms and ammunition.

Casualties from this latest explosion are being treated for injuries at the nearby Bayzak district hospital and at Taraz city hospital. As many as 400 spots have been set aside across Taraz for people evacuated from their homes, according to officials. 

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a Twitter message that the situation was now “under control” and urged Taraz residents and the villagers around the city “to remain calm and vigilant.”

Eurasianet reported that dismay at the incident has already started being expressed online. “Guys, this is already the seventh munitions depot blast we’ve had in 10 years,” activist Assem Zhapisheva wrote on her Twitter account.