At least 28 people were killed in the central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan after severe flooding and a helicopter crash, local media reported Friday.

In the village of Kysyl-Agasch, in the eastern Almaty region, the river Karatal burst its banks, flooding dozens of houses and drowning 20 people.

A rescue helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from the village of Makanchi, killing all eight people on board. The causes of the crash were not yet known.

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev set up a government commission to help victims.