(CNN)A new "unknown pneumonia" that is potentially deadlier than
the novel coronavirus has reportedly killed more than 1,700 people this year in the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan, according to a warning issued by Chinese officials Thursday.
"Kazakhstani Health Department and other agencies are conducting comparative research and have not defined the nature of the pneumonia virus," said the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan in a statement to its citizens there.
New cases of the unidentified pneumonia have been increasing significantly since mid-June across the country, said the embassy, adding that in some places, authorities are reporting hundreds of new cases a day.
The rise has so far been concentrated in the regions of Atyrau, Aktobe and Shymkent, which together have almost 500 new cases and more than 30 critically ill patients, said the embassy statement, citing local media.
The disease has killed 1,772 people this year, some of whom were Chinese citizens, according to the embassy. 628 of those deaths took place in June alone.
"This disease is much deadlier than Covid-19," said the statement.