A fire at a hostel killed 13 people in Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, officials said Thursday.

Authorities in the Central Asian country launched an investigation into the cause of the fire and have set up a special commission.

What do we know so far?

The deaths were due to carbon monoxide poisoning, with most of the victims likely suffocating in the basement, according to the city's emergency situations department.

"In the course of reconnaissance and extinguishing the fire, 13 dead were initially discovered, their identities are being established," the department said in a statement.

The fire started in the basement of a three-story building housing 72 hostel guests, early Thursday morning. Fifty-nine people managed to escape safely.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze within an hour.

According to news website Zakon.kz, four people, including a student from India, needed medical assistance.

Of the victims, nine of them were Kazakhs, two each from Russia and Uzbekistan, the police said. 

The building where the fire broke out was recently converted into a hostel. In images published by Kazakh media, at least one of the basement rooms contained several beds and did not have windows.

In Kazakhstan, deadly incidents regularly occur due to a lack of adherence to safety regulations.

ss/jsi (AFP, Reuters)