MOSCOW (TASS) — The administration of Kazakhstan’s southern Zhambyl region declared a state of emergency in one of its districts, where mass brawls and clashes flared up overnight to Saturday, the Tengrinews agency reported.

The state of emergency has been in place from 21:00 local time on Saturday.

Eight people were killed in a series of violent clashes in a rural area of Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region. By the time of reporting, Kazakhstan’s police and National Guard have brought the situation under control. A total of 37 people remain in hospitals, according to Deputy Health Minister Kamalzhan Nadyrov.

The region’s administrative head, Hakim (governor) Askar Myrzahemetov charged his first deputy Bekbolat Orynbekov with managing the emergency situation and tasked him with “taking relevant measures that stem from this decision.” The nature of those measures was not specified.