On the outskirts of Semey, several cars sank underground after the ground subsided following unauthorized excavation work, and now local residents are afraid to drive up to their own homes, reports infohub.kz.
Several cars fell into the trap at once.
"My children come home from work. Two cars. Now they park their cars over there and walk. If they get stuck here, who will pull them out?" asked Kulzhat Kamshankyzy.
According to officials, the cause of the incident was unauthorized excavation work.
It turned out that a water pipeline was being laid to private homes without permits. Apparently, after the trench was backfilled, something went wrong.
Specialists and utility services were sent to the scene. Now they must decide how to restore the road.
"Water pipeline networks were laid without permission, as a result of which, after poor-quality backfilling, sinkholes formed. No permit for excavation work was issued by the department," said Adilbek Uvasilov, head of the Department of Passenger Transport and Roads of Semey.