At least 52 people have been burned to death after a passenger bus caught fire in western Kazakhstan, authorities confirmed. Only five people managed to escape the deadly blaze.

The deadly incident took place on a highway in the Aktobe region of Kazakhstan, spokesman for the Interior Ministry Emergencies Committee Ruslan Imankulov said in a statement.

There were 55 passengers and two drivers on board the vehicle. The five passengers who managed to escape the burning bus are currently being treated by medics. Two bus drivers are among the survivors of the blaze, Imankulov confirmed.

All victims were citizens of neighboring Uzbekistan, the Kazakh Emergencies Committee said.

A short circuit may have caused the fatal blaze, authorities stated at the briefing, adding that the bus was also overloaded.