ASTANA – Nine servicemen have died after 19 Kazakhstan Armed Forces personnel were swept into the Caspian Sea during a naval exercise in the Mangystau Region on Sept. 24 amid a sharp deterioration in weather conditions and strong winds, the Ministry of Defense reported.
Photo credit: The Ministry of Defense
Rescuers rescued three servicemen, including one who was hospitalized. Search operations for the remaining servicemen are underway.
The Government has established a commission to investigate the deaths, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev. The commission includes the defense minister, Mangystau Region Akim Nurdaulet Kilybay and representatives of relevant ministries and agencies.
Units of the Naval Forces, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, aviation and other relevant services have been deployed to conduct search and rescue operations.
A commission from the Ministry of Defense, headed by Defense Minister Lieutenant General of Aviation Dauren Kossanov, has been urgently dispatched to establish the circumstances of the incident and coordinate the search and rescue efforts.
The Defense Ministry expressed its deep condolences to the families and relatives of the servicemen who died. The families will receive all necessary assistance and support.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a criminal case into the deaths of the servicemen. An investigative team has been established, with officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Prosecutor’s Office working at the site. Authorities have ordered necessary forensic examinations, and the investigation is under special control.
The Khazar Korgany-2026 exercise began on Sept. 22 in Kazakhstan’s sector of the Caspian Sea, involving more than 500 servicemen, Naval Forces vessels and boats, hydrographic vessels, Border Guard Service units and Air Defense Forces aviation.
