Hostel fire kills 13 people in Kazakhstan’s Almaty

Thirteen people died in a fire at a hostel in Kazakhstan’s biggest city, Almaty, on Thursday, the city’s emergencies department said in a statement.

The fire broke out early in the morning in a three-storey building whose ground and basement levels were occupied by 72 hostel guests. The victims died from carbon monoxide poisoning, while the remaining 59 people managed to leave the building.

The cause of the fire remained unclear. The government said it has set up a special commission to investigate it.