ALMATY, Kazakhstan

Life in Kazakhstan's commercial capital Almaty is gradually returning to normal after days of countrywide protests, officials said on Sunday.

Public transportation services have resumed to every 20 to 30 minutes and large chain markets are open for business, according to a statement by local military officials.

"Yesterday (Saturday), 28 branches of supermarkets were open in all parts of the city and 49 more branches opened today," it said.

Telephone operators also restarted their operations, while no gunshots were heard in the city.

Some 164 people lost their lives around the country, said Kazakh news channel Habar-24, citing the Central Asian country's Health Ministry.

The protests against an increase in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices turned into massive riots across Kazakhstan over the past week.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency in Almaty and the oil-rich Mangystau region, from where the protests spread to the rest of the country.

*Writing by Busra Nur Cakmak