Kazakhstan authorities say 225 people have been killed in violent clashes News

Nineteen members of the security forces were among the dead, according to law enforcement officials.

The deadly violence that led to peaceful protests over Kazakhstan’s energy prices and the government’s call for help from a Russian-led military bloc has killed 225 people, authorities said.

“In an emergency, the bodies of 225 people were taken to the funeral home, 19 of whom were police and military,” State Prosecutor Serik Shalabayev said in a statement on Saturday.

Others added that they were “armed bandits involved in terrorist attacks,” Shalabayev added.

“Unfortunately, civilians have also fallen victim to acts of terrorism.”

Kazakhstan admitted fewer than 50 dead, 26 “armed criminals” and fewer than 18 security agents in the conflict, which revealed internal struggles at the top of the government.

A larger number of 164 dead appeared on an official Telegram channel last week.

Health Ministry spokesman Asel Artakshinova said more than 2,600 people had been treated in hospitals, and 67 are currently in critical condition.

Authorities in Kazakhstan have blamed the bandits and international “terrorists” for their violence, and say they have hijacked protests that took the epicenter of the unrest from the west to the largest city in Almaty.

Russian troops disembark from military cargo plane after landing in Ivanovo after completion of mission in Kazakhstan [Russian Defence Ministry/AFP]

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev turned to a Russian-led military bloc to call for help in the riots, and Nursultan Nazarbayev ousted his former and former boss by taking over the National Security Council.

Troops from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), an alliance of six former Soviet states, helped calm the violence in the Central Asian country and began a gradual withdrawal on Thursday.

Following allegations of beatings and torture by detainees, Tokayev ordered police to prevent abuse on Saturday and told prosecutors to be lenient with those who did not commit serious crimes.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday that all the planes carrying troops had returned. It was unclear whether troops from other CSTO countries remain in Kazakhstan.