BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 25. Search and rescue operations are continuing in the Caspian Sea for two servicemen who were swept out to sea during military exercises in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region on September 24, the country’s Defense Ministry said.
On September 24, 17 servicemen were swept into the open sea while carrying out a combat training mission due to a sudden and sharp deterioration in weather conditions and strong winds, the ministry said.
Three servicemen were rescued as a result of emergency response measures, while search efforts for two others are continuing. Twelve servicemen were killed in the incident.
At the instruction of the government commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, a round-the-clock search and rescue operation is underway in the Caspian Sea.
The operation at the site is being directly supervised by Defense Minister Lieutenant General of Aviation Dauren Kosanov. The operational headquarters includes representatives of the Defense Ministry, the Border Service of the National Security Committee, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and local authorities of the Mangystau region.
“252 personnel, 34 units of specialized ground equipment, 37 military divers, 14 vessels and boats, as well as more than 20 aircraft, including four helicopters, are involved in the large-scale search and rescue operation. Continuous patrols and surveys of the water area, the coastal zone and adjacent territories from the air are being carried out using the forces and equipment of the relevant agencies,” the Defense Ministry said.
A criminal case has been opened over the incident, while a special commission is conducting investigative measures to establish all the causes and circumstances of the incident.
The families of the servicemen who died, as well as the injured servicemen, will receive all necessary financial and psychological assistance.
