Kazakhstan’s authorities have imposed a state of emergency across the country in an attempt to get a grip on a deteriorating security situation, after widespread riots were sparked by a gas price hike.

Despite the measures, street violence has continued across multiple Kazakh cities. The situation has become especially chaotic in Almaty, with groups of violent protesters storming local administration and other government buildings and setting them on fire.Footage circulating online shows that law enforcement agents appear unable to bring the situation under control, with multiple police and emergency services vehicles having themselves been torched. Demonstrators have been seen chasing and beating police officers and soldiers, with some apparently having had their firearms removed.

The situation in Kazakhstan took a sharp turn for the worse, as several cities saw violent unrest, with administrative buildings stormed, a presidential residence set on fire, and the main airport allegedly seized.

Almaty, the former capital, has been gripped by violent unrest throughout the day, with protesters overrunning multiple government buildings, including the old presidential palace, and torching them.

The protests began after a twofold hike in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at the start of the new year. The price caps that had existed in the country for years had turned LPG into an extremely popular type of fuel, widely utilized both in households and in road vehicles, where it was commonly converted to be used instead of conventional gasoline.

In a matter of days, the unrest spread across the nation, growing increasingly political and violent.

Footage circulating online shows protesters assaulting police officers and military servicemen, and apparently taking their firearms in the process. Clips of the police firing tear gas grenades and water cannons have also surfaced. Numerous stores, including those selling guns, have reportedly been ransacked, and rioters in Almaty have reportedly been breaking into ATMs. The city’s international airport has also been overrun by violent protesters, and its operations are currently suspended.

The ongoing wave of mass protests was triggered by a twofold hike in liquefied petroleum gas prices at the start of the new year. The fuel had been subsidized for years, becoming extremely popular, yet the government decided the policy was no longer sustainable, ultimately letting the market decide the price.

The fuel price protests began in the country’s south-west, promptly spilling over into other regions. The unrest grew increasingly political in a matter of days, soon swiveling away from the original gas price uproar.

The old presidential palace, located in Almaty, has not been spared during the unrest. The crowd has breached its perimeter, setting the building ablaze. While the facility has not been used by the head-of-state for years, since the capital was moved from Almaty to Nur-Sultan (formerly known as Astana), it maintains its status.

yesterday ,protesters reportedly breached and took over Almaty International Airport, the state's major passenger and cargo hub, local media reported.

Some “45 invaders” had assumed control after the military officers guarding its perimeter had reportedly left their posts.

All passengers have been evacuated, they said, and flights to Almaty have been canceled or diverted by multiple airlines across the world.