The death toll from a series of blasts triggered by a fire at an arms depot in southern Kazakhstan has risen to 15 after another victim was discovered.
The Kazakh Emergency Ministry said on August 30 that a body was found under the debris of a building destroyed by the fire and explosions. One person remains missing, it added.
The blast at a military facility in the Zhambyl region injured 98 people -- about half of them employees of the Emergency Ministry who were hurt while battling the blaze.
Defense Minister Nurlan Ermekbaev told a press briefing on August 27 that It was unclear what caused the fire a day earlier at the military facility where engineering explosives were stored. Ermekbaev added that neither arson nor sabotage could be ruled out.
August 29 was a day of national mourning for the military personnel and rescuers who died at the scene of the accident.
Kazakhstan Arms Depot Blast Death Toll Rises To 15
The blasts occurred at a military base in Kazakhstan's Zhambyl Region