Thirteen people died in a fire at a hostel in Kazakhstan's biggest city Almaty, according to a statement of the city's emergencies department.

Eleven victims were Kazakhs, one person was from Russia and one from Uzbekistan, local news website Zakon.kz quoted Almaty mayor Yerbolat Dosayev as saying.

The fire broke out early in the morning in a three-storey building whose ground and basement levels were occupied by 72 hostel guests. The victims died from carbon monoxide poisoning, while the remaining 59 people managed to leave the building.

Four people sought medical help, including a student from India, Zakon.kz cited the authorities as saying.

The cause of the fire remained unclear.