Six die in manure pit at Aqtogai Milk farm in Pavlodar region

September 26, 2026 at 10:11 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Six people died on July 20 at the Aqtogai Milk farm in Pavlodar region after a mixer fell into a manure lagoon and workers entered the pit to retrieve it. One person was rescued and hospitalized for about two weeks. The farm's director said the workers were not supposed to enter the lagoon and had no training for such work.

Key Facts

Six people died on July 20 at the Aqtogai Milk farm in Pavlodar region after a mixer fell into a manure lagoon.
The first victim was a 17-year-old schoolboy employed as a gardener during school holidays.
The mixer fell into a 5-meter-deep concrete pit after a cable broke, and workers entered the pit without rescue equipment.
Three of the dead were members of one family, and a seventh person who entered the pit was rescued and hospitalized for about two weeks.
Farm director Ilya Rozhkov said workers were not supposed to enter the lagoon and had received no training for such work.

The Accident

On July 20, a mixer fell into a manure lagoon at the Aqtogai Milk farm in Pavlodar region after a cable broke. The lagoon is a concrete pit about 5 meters deep where liquid waste is collected and mixed. A 17-year-old gardener descended a ladder into the pit and lost consciousness, prompting others to enter in rescue attempts. Six people died in the pit, and one person was pulled out and hospitalized for about two weeks.

Rescue Attempts

Farm director Ilya Rozhkov said the first descent was an industrial accident, but the other five deaths resulted from a spontaneous rescue operation. Workers had no training for entering the lagoon because such work was not part of their duties, according to the farm's management. The pit has no steps, and workers found a ladder and adapted it for the descent. Three of the dead were members of one family who entered the pit after the teenager failed to come out.

Employment of Minor

The youngest victim was a 10th-grade student under 18 years old at the time of the incident. Aqtogai Milk management said the teenager was officially employed as a gardener during school holidays, with duties including cleaning the territory and caring for plants. The farm has operated for less than five years, and management said the mixer had never fallen before.