Thousands of workers involved in the construction of a large gas-to-liquids facility in Uzbekistan's southern region of Qashqadaryo have rioted, storming the facility’s administration building by force.
Video obtained by RFE/RL from the site on October 21 shows ransacked offices with broken furniture and computers.
Some workers from the facility told RFE/RL that Uzbek National Guard, security troops, and police were brought to the Guzor district where the riot took place to stop it.
Information about possible casualties was not immediately available.
One of the workers told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity that the riots started after the employer, Enter Engineering company, failed to provide employees with food on the evening on October 20, which added to the workers’ ongoing frustration over unpaid salaries.
An official from the Tashkent-based firm told RFE/RL that the riots started after workers were unable to open the massive electronically maintained door of the cafeteria due to a malfunction of its electronic locking system.
The Uzbek Prosecutor-General's press secretary, Hayot Shamsutdinov, told reporters that the situation was being investigated.
