Approximately 52 individuals are believed to have experienced carbon monoxide poisoning while aboard a train in Kazakhstan’s biggest city.
Among those affected, ten children have been admitted to the hospital, with two of them receiving care in the intensive care unit, as per the Almaty city public health department.
The distressing event transpired on a train that pulled into Almaty-2 railway station in the southeastern region of the Central Asian nation. The health department stated, “Thirteen ambulance teams were deployed to the location. A total of 52 people, including children, sustained injuries. All the victims were transported to city hospitals for evaluation and essential medical attention.”
The 10 hospitalized children are under close observation by medical professionals, while the other 42 individuals have been discharged for home treatment, officials disclosed.
<p'Passenger Transportation', Kazakhstan's national rail carrier, verified that a film crew was operating in the carriages during the incident and that the train was under the ownership of a private entity.
<p"In light of reports surrounding carbon monoxide poisoning upon the train's arrival at Almaty-2 railway station, we wish to clarify that the National Carrier is not associated with this occurrence," stated a spokesperson for the company.
<p"The train where the poisoning incident occurred is not a part of JSC 'Passenger Transportation' and is owned by a private company. The carriages were provided to a film studio for shooting purposes."
<pAccording to local media outlet TengriNews, a South Korean TV series was being filmed on the train. A witness recounted, "Initially, we were waiting in heated tents, and we were assured that filming would happen in a warm train carriage. However, at the last moment, the Korean film crew took the warm carriage, leaving the rest of us – women, children, everyone – to occupy a cold one."
<pThe witness mentioned that filming in the chilly carriage lasted around three hours, and organizers allegedly ignored the lack of heating. Subsequently, the group was relocated to another cold carriage where organizers eventually set up a gas burner.
<p"Approximately 50 people gathered around it immediately, with children sitting closest," the witness recounted. "Children began fainting shortly after. Panic ensued as one child screamed and lost consciousness, followed by another boy and a girl. Mass fainting among the children ensued. Chaos erupted."
<pThe witness added, "I exited the carriage and began feeling unwell myself. Someone started slapping my face, saying, 'Stay awake! Don't fall asleep!'"
<pMedical personnel and law enforcement responded to assist the injured individuals at the station.
At Reach and across our entities, we and our partners use information obtained through cookies and other identifiers on your device to enhance your site experience, analyze its usage, and display personalized ads. You can opt out of data sales or sharing at any time by clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the page. Please be aware that your preferences are specific to your browser. Your use of our website and services signifies your consent to the use of cookies and the practices outlined in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.