THIS is the shocking moment a residential tower block was engulfed in an inferno as firefighters search for families in the burning building.
Eight people, including a child, had been evacuated from the blazing tower in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, initial reports say.
The 26-floor elite skyscraper is close to the shopping centre Khan-Shatyr, which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest "tent" in the world.
Firefighters were reported to be searching for people inside the Rixos Khan Shatyr Residences as the cladding on the high-rise was burning.
There was no initial information about casualties in the tower where luxury flats currently sell for up to £611,000.
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The fire started on the top floor or roof of the residential and offices building, according to reports.
Some 72 firefighters and 16 pieces of equipment were at the scene.
Thick black smoke was seen emanating from the tower and polluting the downtown area.
The entire road nearby was shrouded in acrid smoke.
It appeared to be burning on the exterior of the tower in Astana, a modern city built in the steppe as the capital of energy-rich Kazakhstan.
The building is about 256ft high.
Firefighters used extendable equipment to reach up to the tower and shower it with water.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear.
One account said there were 12 apartments for sale in the black and 23 for rent.
Last summer, a blaze in an apartment block saw panicked parents hurl their children from the windows of the burning tower.
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Quick-thinking locals stood 100ft below on the ground to catch the terrified youngster using sheets in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
A raging inferno swept through the 16-storey building after flames engulfed an elevator shaft between the fifth and sixth floors.
As smoke and fire spread more than 300 people were evacuated from the block.
Nail-biting footage shows an adult holding a tot out of a window and people below frantically run closer to the building gripping a sheet.
The toddler is then dropped, plummeting down before being caught in the white cover.
Residents then used a mattress to break the fall of an adult leaping from a high up window.
Smoke can be seen billowing out of the block in thick plumes and dozens of people watched on in horror.
It's understood the emergency stairs could not be used as residents had blocked them.
At least 31 people were rushed to hospital - including 16 kids.
It's understood there were no fatalities.
After arriving at the scene, firefighters brought tall rescue ladders to reach the upper floors of the building, lowering 40 people.
The blaze was finally extinguished with the help of 50 firefighters and three ladders.
