Kazakhstan says 164 people lost their lives in a week of unrest

dpa Moscow total of 164 people have been killed during the past week of protests in Kazakhstan, according to Health Ministry figures cited by state-run med...

dpaMoscowtotal of 164 people have been killed during the past week of protests in Kazakhstan, according to Health Ministry figures cited by state-run media.More than 2,200 people were said to have been injured in the violence, which saw Kazakh security forces respond with a heavy hand to the anti-government protesters.According to the Health Ministry, 719 people were being treated in hospitals on Sunday, 83 of them in critical condition. The authorities did not comment on the nature of the injuries. It is difficult to independently verify information in the tightly controlled Central Asian country.Demonstrations prompted by soaring fuel prices began a week ago in western Kazakhstan, a country bigger than Western Europe, before turning into a broader revolt against the authoritarian government. In Almaty, the country’s largest city, the protests devolved into riots and clashes that left buildings torched and businesses looted. According to the report by state television, 103 people - including two children - died in Almaty alone. Some 1,100 people there sought medical help, it said. It was initially unclear how many of the victims were civilians.Previously, the authorities had spoken of more than 40 dead, among them at least 16 police officers and soldiers.Following a crisis meeting on Sunday, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s office said that operations to contain the protests were continuing and described the situation as being under control.“Measures are being taken to locate and arrest terrorists,” it said. So far, almost 6,000 people have been arrested, including many foreigners, the presidential office said.Tokayev has repeatedly said that the protesters who are threatening the survival of his government are being supported from abroad but has offered little evidence to support the claim. Interior Minister Erlan Turgumbayev said more than 100 shopping centres, bank buildings and about 400 vehicles - mostly police cars - were destroyed, in comments to broadcaster Khabar 24.In Almaty, the unprecedented unrest has left behind severe destruction, a resident told DPA on the phone on Sunday. “Today the situation in the city is relatively calm,” the journalist, who lives near the city centre, said, adding that he could still hear shots being fired the previous evening.Many grocery shops had been looted, he said: “Banks, ATMs - everything’s destroyed.” Long queues had formed in front of reopened bakeries. The internet in Almaty was still down, the 50-year-old said. Mobile phone connections have also been unreliable.Some 2,000 protesters passed by his house on Friday, the journalist reported. Some of them were carrying sticks, but did not seem violent, he added.Amid a heavy-handed response to the protesters, authorities meanwhile were trying to restore a sense of normality. The Ministry of Trade said supplies of basic foodstuffs had been secured in remote regions, Russian news agency TASS reported. The Energy Ministry said fuel was starting to be supplied.