Bus fire in Kazakhstan kills 52

A bus has caught fire in north-western Kazakhstan, killing 52 people, the interior ministry has said.

Five people managed to escape and were treated by rescue workers on the spot, reports said.

The accident happened at 10:30 local time on Thursday (04:30 GMT) in the Irgiz district of Aktobe region.

Local media say that the bus was believed to have been carrying Uzbek citizens to or from Russia along the Samara-Shymkent route.