Akmola tragedy


Akmola tragedy — a major disaster that occurred in the city of Akmola on 2 August 1959.
As of January 2026, this tragedy remains the largest disaster in the history of the city of Astana.

Bridge

Bridge — Yesil was located in Akmola, Kazakh SSR, also known as Bridge of Mystery, which collapsed in 1959.

Chronology of events

On 1 August 1959, young people from across the entire region arrived in Akmola to take part in festive events. A regional youth festival was being held. On the second day of the festival — 2 August, at 13:46 local time, the bridge over the Yesil River was unable to withstand the load and collapsed. The one of three police officer present that day together with his spouse, Nurmukhambet Kozhakhmetov, began rescuing people who were drowning. Because the incident occurred during festive events, people did not immediately realize how the bridge in front of them had collapsed. Kozhakhmetov's colleagues – Kunakpaev and Kutzhanov provided first aid to the victims on land.
Since reaching the left bank of Akmola was practically impossible, ambulances and emergency services arrived only from the right bank.

Classification

The Soviet government decided that such a disaster occurring during major celebrations was inappropriate for public coverage. All information about the tragedy was classified.

Victims

Due to the classification of records by the Soviet authorities, the exact number of victims remains unknown. According to estimates made with the help of eyewitnesses, the death toll was approximately 140 people.

Aftermath