Raging wildfire in northern Kazakhstan has engulfed over 43,000 hectares (106,255 acres) of land by Sunday morning, the Minister of Emergency Situations, Yuri Ilyin, told reporters, according to Sputnik. At least one person was killed, ten people were injured and over 1,800 people have been evacuated. as wildfires burned more than 100,000 acres in northern Kazakhstan, government officials told local media on Saturday. "The wildfire has burned over 43,000 hectares of land in total," the minister said. The blaze grew over 4.5 times compared to Saturday night, when it spread across the area of 9,400 hectares. The fire is likely to grow even further in eight active zones, Ilyin said, adding that firefighting efforts are continuing. The wildfire broke out in Kazakhstan's Kostanay Province on Friday and spread quickly over a large swath of land. Eleven freight trains and six passenger trains were delayed this weekend amid the fires. At least five firefighter trains and hundreds of firefighters are involved in extinguishing the Kostanay blaze. The wildfire broke out in the Kostanay Province on Friday and spread quickly over a large swath of land, scorching 9,400 hectares (23,230 acres) by Saturday night, head of the crisis management office Aybol Akbarov told reporters. Four villages have been evacuated and the entire region placed on the extreme emergency level. Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will go to the region on Monday to inspect the operational headquarters, his press office said. Tokayev has told the government to unlock emergency funds needed to deal with the crisis. Kazakh news agency Kazinform, citing the Ministry of Emergency Situations, reported a total of 91 units of equipment, three aircraft, five fire trains, and 600 personnel were working to contain the fires. — Agencies
