MOSCOW — Emergency officials in Kazakhstan say 52 people have died when a bus carrying them caught fire.

The Emergencies Ministry of the former Soviet nation in Central Asia said Thursday’s tragedy happened in the northern Aktobe region. The ministry said that only five of 57 people in the bus have managed to get out and survived the fire.

The ministry said they are being treated for injuries.

The ministry said that some of the victims were citizens of neighboring Uzbekistan.