In Kazakhstan, 82 citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia, including three children, were rescued from severe cold, Astana TV reports.
The passengers were traveling on a bus along the Shymkent-Samara route, but the vehicle broke down in the Aktobe region of Kazakhstan, which is currently experiencing extreme frost.
The bus driver called for help, and emergency services evacuated all 82 passengers, including the children, to a warming center in the village of Kurylys.
"The foreign citizens expressed their gratitude to Kazakh rescuers," stated the Emergencies Ministry of Kazakhstan.
As it had been reported earlier, bus service between the Tajik northern city of Khujand and the Russian city of Novosibirsk reinstated in early January after being suspended due to the pandemic. Tajik and Russian entrepreneurs have reportedly collaborated to restore the route.
Passenger carriage along this route is carried out jointly by Open Joint-Stock Companies (OJSCs) Sorbon (Tajikistan) and Novosibirskgortrans (Russia) as well as Individual Entrepreneur (IE) Isokhadzhayev Firm.
Buses reportedly operate once every two days.
Additionally, buses now connect Khujand with the Russian cities of Tyumen and Surgut:
In 2023, the Tajik carrier Asian Express resumed the Dushanbe–Moscow bus route. However, the service was temporarily suspended and is expected to restart in spring.
It is to be noted that mainly labor migrants from the northern Sughd province travel to the Russian Federation on a bus.
