You're reading: Kazakh police hunting killers of 11 people in park

ALMATY, Kazakhstan — Police in Kazakhstan say they are seeking to track down those responsible for the killing of 11 people in a national park near the commercial capital, Almaty.

The
Interior Ministry said Tuesday, Aug. 14, that 100 police officers are combing the
Ile-Alatau national park, located in the foothills of mountains that
form the fringes of Tian-Shan range.

The 11 bodies were found
Monday, Aug. 13, and officials say several of them bore stab wounds. One was a
park ranger well known for his fight against poaching.

This is the second major mass killing in Kazakhstan
this year. Fourteen border guards and a park ranger were shot dead in
May at an outpost near the Central Asian nation’s border with China.

A soldier was arrested and confessed to the murders, but later retracted the confession.