BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 24. Nine servicemen have died during military exercises on the Caspian coast in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region on September 24, the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said.
“With deep sorrow, we report that on September 24, in the Mangystau region, during exercises of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, while carrying out a training and combat task on the coast of the Caspian Sea, due to a sharp deterioration in weather conditions and strengthening winds, servicemen were swept into the sea,” the ministry said.
According to preliminary information, 19 servicemen were swept into the sea. The deaths of nine servicemen have been confirmed so far. Three servicemen have been rescued, including one who was hospitalized. The search for the others is ongoing.
Rescue forces and equipment were immediately sent to the scene. Units of the Naval Forces, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, aviation and other relevant services are involved in the search and rescue operation.
“For establishing all the circumstances of what happened and coordinating search and rescue operations, a commission of the Ministry of Defense headed by Minister of Defense Lieutenant General of Aviation Dauren Kosanov urgently went to the scene,” the ministry said.
Additional information on the progress of the search operation and the condition of the servicemen will be provided as data is received and confirmed.
