A large and prominent mosque in the city of Astana, Kazakhstan, caught fire on Sunday (15/01). The flames could not be seen, but the entire roof of the Hazrat Sultan Mosque was enveloped in thick smoke.
A source from the Emergency Situations Ministry said at least one person was killed in the fire that hit the Central Asian region's largest mosque.
Still according to the ministry's office, the fire spread to the mosque's 800m2 room.
The workers who are still working on the construction project of the 17.500m2 mosque complex reportedly heard screams from people trapped in the mosque's interior.
The source of the fire is thought to have come from welding equipment hitting the scaffolding under the mosque's main dome. (Xinhua / Interfax / AP / Hidayatullah). *
