At least 18 Kazakh police killed, over 700 others wounded in unrest

SANAA, Jan. 07 (YPA) – At least 18 Kazakh police have reportedly been killed and more than 740 others injured as authorities in the ex-Soviet country try to quell unrest triggered by a sharp rise in fuel prices.

 The ongoing unrest is far from over, even after protests resulted in the resignation of the government.

 A state of emergency has been declared in the country’s largest city, Almaty, where the protesters set fire to the mayor’s office and stormed other political offices. Similar protests are taking place in other provinces.

On Thursday, the number of casualties among the Kazakh security officers rose to 18 dead and 748 others wounded, Russia’s Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies reported, citing the interior ministry, which added that 2,298 people have been also detained.

The protests began after a price hike on liquid petroleum gas (LPG) tuned into direct clashes with police on Wednesday. LPG is widely used to fuel cars in the west of the country.

On Thursday, the United Nations called on all sides in the country to refrain from violence and seek a peaceful resolution to their grievances.

E.M