10 killed in Kazakhstan independence day clashes

Ten people were killed Friday in clashes between striking oil workers and police at a ceremony marking Kazakhstans independence day in the western city of Zhanaozen, prosecutors said.The buildings of the local administration, hotels and energy firm Uzenmunaigas facility were set on fire in a startling development in a country that prides itself on years of energy-fuelled stability.According to preliminary information, 10 people were killed as a result of the mass riots. There are also wounded, including police, prosecutor general Askhat Daulbayev said in a statement.The city hall, hotels, Uzenmunaigas offices were set on fire. Private and corporate property was also damaged, cars set on fire and ATMs robbed, he added from the capital Astana.In a rare move, state-controlled television aired footage of the riots including of people darting around in panic, highlighting the gravity of the situation.Workers in Zhanaozen and other cities in the Mangistau region on the Caspian Sea have been striking for months for higher wages, in a highly unusual dispute for the Central Asian state which prides itself for an ability to attract foreign investors.Theres a bloodbath here. It was police that was shooting, Omirbek Isabayev, one of the striking oil workers from Uzenmunaigas, said in remarks broadcast on Kyrgyzstan-based opposition Kazakh channel K-Plus.Isabaeyev said between 15 and 20 people were shot dead.