A young woman drowned on one of the beaches of the Kapchagai Reservoir. The incident occurred in front of Majilis deputy Bakytzhan Bazarbek, who was on holiday there. According to him, the woman was pulled from the water by boat renters, and eyewitnesses tried to administer first aid — the management of the recreation area was not present at the scene.
According to Cmn.kz, Bazarbek noted that there were no lifeguards, surveillance cameras, or even lifebuoys on the beach. Rescue towers and a duty medical worker were also absent. There was no safety system in place at all.
Eyewitnesses claim that the ambulance crew arrived late. Despite all resuscitation attempts, the woman could not be saved. They also noted that this is not the first case of holidaymakers dying on such beaches.
It is noted that most of the Kapchagai Reservoir coastline was transferred to private entrepreneurs long ago for tourism development. However, in practice, it has come down to paid entrances, barriers, and a lack of accountability. A criminal case has been opened regarding the woman's death.
As reported by Informburo.kz, the incident was later commented on by the head of the regional tourism department, Kuanyshbek Meirambekuly, and the deputy akim of the region, Rustam Isataev.
"Of course, this is a tragic incident. Our medical workers and rescuers operate on an enhanced schedule when the beach season begins. In the summer period, many of these tragedies are inevitable. We have fully taken the criticism on board and learned our lessons. All posts are now deployed on an enhanced footing," said Rustam Isataev.
The tourism department clarified that the police are conducting an investigation under Article 306 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Provision of services that do not meet safety requirements"). Authorities promise to strengthen oversight of private recreation areas.
"Work is currently underway to identify such violations by entrepreneurs in order to ensure the safety of tourists in the Almaty region as a whole," stated Kuanyshbek Meirambekuly.