Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Zhaparov has been compelled to return to Bishkek from Almaty, where he was slated to attend the next meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council (EIGC), due to an incident at the city's thermal power plant. TASS reported this development based on a statement from the press secretary of the head of the Cabinet, Daiyrbek Orunbekov.
"Due to the accident at the Bishkek CHPP, the chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers is returning urgently from Almaty and will not attend the EMPS meeting," Orunbekov conveyed.
Zhaparov had traveled to Almaty on February 1 and was also scheduled to participate in the international digital forum "Digital Almaty 2024: Industry."
The accident at the Bishkek power plant took place on the evening of February 2. The Ministry of Energy of the Republic reported that the plant's machinery malfunctioned as a result of the accident, with witnesses describing a flash and an explosion at the facility. Preliminary findings suggest that one of the boilers exploded, resulting in three employees being seriously injured and hospitalized. After the accident, the Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed a fire at the CHPP, which was promptly extinguished.
Currently, the city's residents continue to receive electricity fully, although the supply of hot water and heating to apartment buildings has been temporarily halted. Despite the crisis at the CHPP, transportation, retail, banking, state, and municipal authorities in Bishkek are functioning normally, and schools have transitioned to online learning. An operational command center has been established to mitigate the effects of the accident at the capital's CHPP, which is a crucial power generation facility in the country.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the Rais RT
Based on materials from TASS