The key facts

  • The wall collapse damaged several gravestones in sector 15 of Botkin Cemetery; the graves were not opened
  • The construction was carried out illegally, without permits; work has been suspended, the fine is 200 BRV (88 million soums)
  • The customer and the contractor apologized and committed to restoring the gravestones by the end of the week

Wall collapse and damage to gravestones

Reports spread on social media that during construction work an excavator damaged graves at Botkin Cemetery in Tashkent. According to the outlet Gazeta, based on social media reports, the incident may have occurred as early as October 18, and some of the video recordings were made on October 21. As reported by the press service of the Tashkent khokimiyat, according to preliminary data, during construction work on the territory of the former champagne winery, a wall separating the site from the cemetery collapsed. As a result, several gravestones in the last row of sector 15 were damaged. According to the administration, the graves were not opened.

Reaction of the authorities

The Tashkent city khokimiyat and the Improvement Directorate took the situation under control. The authorities' statement says that the construction work carried out with violations has been stopped, the responsible persons have been identified, and the circumstances of the incident and the actions of the responsible persons will be given a legal assessment; the guilty will be held accountable in accordance with the procedure established by law. The khokimiyat also emphasized respect for the feelings of the relatives of the deceased: “We understand the grief and protests of the relatives of the deceased. The memory of those who have passed away and the feelings of their loved ones must be treated with respect.”

Fine and results of the inspection

The situation was examined by staff of the capital's territorial inspectorate for control in the field of construction and housing and communal services together with representatives of other organizations. It was established that the incident occurred during earthworks for the construction of an additional building on the territory of a business facility in the “Sultonali Mashhadiy” mahalla of the Yashnabad district. The inspection showed that the work was carried out illegally, without the appropriate permits, in violation of urban planning norms, and that the cemetery wall and graves were destroyed due to the builders' carelessness. The Construction Inspectorate under the Cabinet of Ministers clarified that the cause of the wall damage was the developer's carelessness. The construction organization was imposed an administrative fine of 200 BRV — 88 million soums.

Restoration work

The customer and the contractor organization were ordered to eliminate the consequences of the collapse and restore the damaged gravestones. According to the khokimiyat, the organizations apologized and confirmed that they would complete the work by the end of the week. The restoration process is under control, and additional information about the progress will be provided.