Nearly 2,000 subscribers were left without gas after a fire in Shymkent. The cause of the emergency has been named by QazaqGaz Aimaq JSC, reports infohub.kz.
The fire engulfed trucks and drilling equipment. Firefighters who arrived extinguished the flames and prevented them from spreading to residential buildings.
Gas services quickly shut off the fuel supply. As a result, 1,500 private houses, 340 apartments, and dozens of other facilities were left without gas.
An inspection has been launched into the company that carried out the earthworks. It is noted that they had been previously warned about safety precautions. "On August 18, specialists from the branch arrived at the site and showed the protected zone of the gas pipeline. To mark it, they warned that earthworks using machinery near the pipeline are prohibited, and digging is only allowed manually. However, the contractor ignored this and performed directional drilling. As a result, this accident occurred," said Eldar Kuandykov, deputy head of the department at the Shymkent production branch of QazaqGaz Aimaq JSC.