VIDEO: Major Accident at Bishkek Power Plant; Sabotage Theory Circulating

Residents of Kyrgyzstan's capital have been left without hot water and heating due to an accident at the Bishkek thermal power plant. This was reported by RIA Novosti, referencing a statement from the Ministry of Energy of the Republic.

"On February 2, at 3:00 AM (Yerevan time 01:00 AM), an accident occurred at the Bishkek TPP, causing the equipment to malfunction. Currently, all available personnel are engaged in resolving the situation. As a result of the incident, three workers were injured and are currently in the hospital," the ministry's press service stated.

According to the department, electricity supply to the city's residents remains uninterrupted. However, to maintain the operation of the thermal power plant and heating networks, the supply of hot water and heating has been suspended.

It has been reported that an operational headquarters has been established to promptly address the consequences of the TPP accident. The Ministry of Energy has indicated that they are working to restore heating supply to citizens' homes.

Additionally, Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Emergency Situations, Boobek Azhiyev, mentioned that the authorities are considering sabotage as a potential cause of the accident at the Bishkek TPP: "Work is currently underway to determine the cause of the accident. Two hypotheses are being considered. At the instruction of Kamchibek Tashiev (Head of the State National Security Committee), the possibility of sabotage is being examined, as several small explosions were reported before the incident at around three o'clock. Of course, we are not ruling out the possibility of a technical malfunction; there may also be technical factors involved," the minister stated.

As a result of the emergency incident, equipment at Bishkek's only TPP has been partially disabled, leaving numerous residents without heating and hot water. Five individuals were injured in the accident, two of whom are in extremely critical condition.

Earlier, the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that it would take 5-7 days to fully restore heating supply in Bishkek. Notably, negative temperatures persist in Kyrgyzstan's capital; currently, it is minus 3 degrees Celsius in Bishkek.

It should also be noted that all schools in Bishkek will transition to online learning until Monday, and kindergartens are also closed today.