Kyrghyz capital without gas at 20 below zero
KYRGYZSTAN: Residents of the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek have no
gas to heat their homes amid arctic temperatures, authorities said
Sunday. Some districts also lack electric power at a time when the
mercury has dipped to minus 20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit), they
said. Gas supplies have been cut off from neighbouring Kazakhstan, which
relies on deliveries from another central Asian neighbour, Uzbekistan,
itself unable to extract the fuel because of the freezing weather.
Lacking gas, Bishkek residents have begun using more electricity, which
has led to outages in parts of the city, authorities said.
Weather forecasters warn that temperatures could drop to -24 Celsius
(-11 Fahrenheit) in the region.
AFP |