A 13-year-old girl has died in the town of Ridder in the East Kazakhstan Region (EKR) after a sports motorbike collided with a tether rope by which a horse was tied to a post near a residential building. Another minor was injured and taken to hospital.
WHAT HAPPENED
According to the East Kazakhstan Region Police Department (EKR PD), the tragedy occurred on 23 August. A 13-year-old girl, who was riding a sports motorbike, rode into the tether rope by which a horse was tied to a post near a residential building.
The injuries she sustained proved fatal — the girl died at the scene before the ambulance arrived. A 15-year-old passenger was taken to a local hospital as an emergency case with injuries of varying severity.
On social media, residents of Ridder have also put forward another version of events: some claim that there was apparently no horse at the scene, and that the rope may have been stretched deliberately to stop motorcyclists from riding near the house. There is no official confirmation of this information.
WHAT THE POLICE HAVE SAID
A criminal case has been opened over the negligent causing of death of a minor. Police officers identified the owner of the animal, who had left the horse tethered near the roadway, and brought him to the station.
The EKR PD reported that they are carrying out the necessary investigative actions to establish all the circumstances of the incident. The progress of the investigation is being monitored by the head of the EKR PD.
The police also reminded owners of farm animals of the need to comply with the established rules for grazing livestock. Grazing and herding animals near roads is prohibited. The department separately emphasised that it is unacceptable for children to drive vehicles.
WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES ARE TO BE ESTABLISHED
The investigation must establish all the circumstances of the tragedy, including those relating to the horse being tethered near the roadway and the minor riding a sports motorbike.
The investigation is ongoing.
