Kazakhstan has imposed a temporary ban on all Russian rocket launches from its Baikonur cosmodrome.

It follows the crash of a Russian Proton space rocket shortly after take off yesterday -- the second such incident in the past four months.

The Kazakh Prime Minister, Kasymzhomart Tokayev, said the ban would remain in place until an investigation found out what had caused the crash.

There are no reports of casualties.

Kazakhstan lifted a ban in August, imposed after a crash in July which had spread tons of poisonous fuel on Kazakh territory.