A court in Aktobe sentenced the owner of an automotive gas filling station to four years in prison after a fire in which a 45-year-old woman and her two daughters — aged ten and six — died. The relatives of the victims forgave the defendant and concluded a mediation agreement with him. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

The verdict

The verdict was announced on October 16 at Aktobe Court No. 2. The owner of the filling station will serve his sentence in a minimum-security colony. The prosecutor had requested the same term for him. The verdict has not yet entered into legal force and may be appealed.

How the tragedy happened

The tragedy occurred in June 2026. The family was driving into the city to go shopping in a Honda belonging to the brother of the girls' father. On the way, they decided to fill a household gas cylinder for their summer kitchen.

According to the man, the operator agreed to fill the gas without removing the cylinder from the trunk. The capacity of the container was 30 liters, but the meter during filling showed 42 liters. The man began shouting at the worker to stop, but the young operator could not find the "Stop" button. Then an explosion and fire occurred.

The girls' father was outside at that moment. His 54-year-old brother, who was driving the car, suffered severe burns. The woman and children remained in the burning cabin. Their bodies were found after the fire was extinguished.

"My wife and children had gone to the toilet before that. I thought they were not in the car. That they remained in the cabin, my brother told me later," the victim said in court.

Criminal case and trial

After the fire, police opened a criminal case under Article 281 of the Criminal Code — on violation of safety rules at explosive facilities. The owner of the gas filling station was detained, and on September 7 the trial began.

The girls' father said he agreed to the mediation agreement after long reflection and conversations with his wife's relatives.

"It is very hard for me, but I have come to terms with it. I thought a lot, consulted with my wife's relatives and agreed to a mediation agreement with the defendant. I have forgiven him," he said.

The owner of the gas filling station asked for a mitigated punishment and for the reconciliation with the victims to be taken into account. According to him, he fully compensated the material and moral damage.

The defendant also said that on the day of the tragedy a temporary operator was working at the station, who was replaced in the evening by his younger brother — a student. The owner himself claimed that he regularly conducted briefings for employees.

In court, he also raised the issue of filling household cylinders. According to him, this is prohibited at gas filling stations, but people continue to approach operators because they do not know where else to fill such containers.