Accidents, stoppages, and technical difficulties at power stations across Kazakhstan have left hundreds of thousands of residents without continuous access to heating and electricity, after a cold snap hit the country in the past week. Accidents at the power stations in Kentau, Ridder and Ekibastuz, gas pipeline networks in Aktau, Stepnogorsk, Kostanai, and Zhambyl. The freezing of the Ural River also caused disruptions in the supply of water to the city of Atyrau.