<Anchor>
Dozens of people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured in large-scale protests in Kazakhstan due to soaring fuel prices. The Kazakh government has declared a state of emergency, and a peacekeeping force led by Russia will be deployed.
This is Hwa Kang-yoon, staff reporter.
<Reporter>
Angry protesters rush towards government buildings and clash with riot police.
It has been confirmed that dozens of people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in Kazakhstan as a result of the bloody protests.
According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Health, 400 of them are hospitalized and 60 are in critical condition, local media reported.
Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry said 18 security personnel were killed and 748 police officers and soldiers of the National Guard were wounded.
He said more than 2,200 protesters had been arrested.
Large-scale protests began in Kazakhstan on the 2nd as the price of liquefied petroleum gas for vehicles more than doubled.
The government promised to cut gas prices and even announced the resignation of the cabinet, but the protests spread to other major cities, including Almaty, the largest city, as dissatisfaction accumulated over the president's long-term tenure and sluggish reforms exploded.
The government has classified the protesters as terrorists and has declared a state of emergency across the country.
[President Tokayev/Kazakhstan: A terrorist attack on Kazakhstan can and should be viewed as an act of aggression.]
As the protests intensify, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which was formed by six countries, including Russia, is planning to send a peacekeeping force at the request of Kazakhstan.