NUR-SULTAN. July 3 (Interfax) - The munitions explosions at the military warehouse in Arys, Turkestan region in southern Kazakhstan, could have been caused by fire safety violations and officials' negligence, military prosecutors said.
"We now have two possible scenarios, including non-observance of fire safety regulations (it could have been a short circuit, or flammable objects could have caught fire) [...], officials' negligence," Deputy Chief Military Prosecutor Darkhan Yerzhanov told a briefing in Nur-Sultan on Wednesday.
Inspectors are now working to determine whether the funding provided from the budget for ensure the safety of the ammunition warehouses was used rationally, whether the explosive substances were stored correctly and whether the irregularities found in the warehouses were fixed in a timely manner, he said.
A pretrial investigation is being conducted into the munitions explosion in Military Unit 44859 based on Article 462 of Part 3 of the republic's Criminal Code.
"If not, the issue will be raised about the lack of action by some servicemen," Yerzhanov said.
"Part 3 of Article 462 For Violations of the Rules Governing the handling of Weapons, Munitions, Radioactive Materials, Explosive and Other Substances and Objects Presenting Increased Hazard to People Leading to the death of two or More people envisages five to the years in prison," he said.
Investigators are now working to determine the circumstances of the incident, including people's deaths, Yerzhanov said.
"The sites are being examined, documents relating to the case are being seized, damage is being estimated. Over 100 people have been questioned so far," he said.
A legal evaluation will be given to the actions by the officials in charge, Yerzhanov said.
"The qualifications, possible theories are tentative, and detailed work will be done on them," he said.
A fire broke out at the ammunition depots of military unit No.44856 in of Arys, leading to ammunition detonation in the morning of June 24. The authorities of the Turkestan region declared a state of emergency and evacuated some 45,000 from Arys. Three people were killed and over 400 sought medical assistance. Citizens started returning to their homes on June 28.