Kazakhstan begins identifying wreckage of missing military helicopter

Kazakhstan’s Defence Ministry has begun identifying fragments of a military helicopter recovered from Lake Sorbulak, days after the aircraft went missing during a routine flight.

Fragments of the aircraft were found during an ongoing search operation involving five additional military units. Specialised equipment and personnel from the cities of Aktau and Konaev were deployed to the area on July 28, including diving gear, echo sounders, a motorboat, and a survey boat to access remote parts of the lake, Caliber.Az reports via Kazakh media. 

The helicopter — a Eurocopter EC145 — disappeared on July 25 during a scheduled flight over the Almaty region. Authorities believe there were three crew members on board at the time of the incident.

Efforts to locate the aircraft were complicated by the challenging conditions in the reservoir. The Ministry of Defence reported that the lake’s variable depth of up to 22 meters, zero visibility, and thick silt significantly hindered the operation.

A special commission has been appointed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash. The EC145 is a twin-engine, light utility helicopter commonly used for military, medical, and transport missions.

By Sabina Mammadli