Almaty has been rocked by violent anti-Government protests ©Getty Images

Almaty - a city which, in different circumstances, could be about to host the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games - has been placed under a state of emergency after violent anti-Government protests broke out in response to the doubling of fuel prices.

Footage appears to show protestors in Almaty, the former capital of the country, setting fire to the city administration building and storming the Mayor's office.

Thousands of demonstrators also gathered outside of the Presidential residence in Almaty.

A curfew, restrictions on movement, and a ban on mass gatherings have been initiated in Almaty and several other cities in response to the violent scenes, which erupted yesterday and continued into today.

It is rare for protests to occur in the oil-rich former Soviet country, which is typically tightly-controlled by the Government.

Protests across Kazakhstan have carried on into a second day after the Government doubled fuel prices in the country ©Getty Images
Protests across Kazakhstan have carried on into a second day after the Government doubled fuel prices in the country ©Getty Images

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed the Government yesterday and promised lower fuel prices would be reinstated.

Almaty came close to securing the hosting rights for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics after losing to Beijing by just four votes at the International Olympic Committee Session in July 2015.

Beijing is set to stage the Winter Olympics from February 4 to 20 and the Paralympics between March 4 and 13.

Almaty had been the outsider in the two-horse race for the 2022 Games, with Beijing the red-hot favourite prior to the vote at the Session in Kuala Lumpur.

It had been thought the slim margin of defeat would encourage Almaty to bid for a future edition of the Winter Olympics.

insidethegames has contacted the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan for comment.