A train incident in Kazakhstan’s main city has left 52 individuals possibly affected by carbon monoxide poisoning. Among them, ten children have been admitted to the hospital, with two in critical condition. The episode unfolded at Almaty-2 railway station in the southeastern region of the country, prompting a swift response from thirteen ambulance units. All 52 victims, including children, were swiftly transported to city hospitals for assessment and urgent medical attention.
Health officials are closely monitoring the ten hospitalized children, while the remaining 42 individuals have been discharged for continued care at home. Kazakhstan’s national rail operator, ‘Passenger Transportation,’ clarified that the train involved in the incident was operated by a private company and had a film crew onboard at the time. The company dissociated itself from the poisoning incident and noted that the train was utilized by a film studio for shooting purposes.
A local news source reported that a South Korean TV series was being filmed on the train, with witnesses recounting a situation where passengers, including women and children, were relegated to cold carriages while the film crew occupied the warm compartments. Subsequently, the lack of heating led to distressing conditions for the passengers, culminating in several children fainting due to the cold. Witnesses described a chaotic scene where panic ensued as children collapsed, prompting emergency services to intervene promptly.
Both paramedics and law enforcement personnel attended to the injured individuals at the railway station following the distressing incident.