13 killed in Kazakhstan hostel fire

Thirteen people died in a fire at a hostel in Kazakhstan's Almatyon Thursday, the city's emergencies department said in a statement.

The fire broke out in the basement of the three-storey residential building, where the first floor and basement had been converted into a hostel, reports Xinhua news agency.

There were initially 72 people in the hostel at the time of the incident, the department said.

A total of 59 people were evacuated, it added.

The cause of the fire is yet to ascertained

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