Kazakhstan sets up commission to probe Caspian Sea servicemen deaths

A government commission has been established in Kazakhstan to investigate the deaths of servicemen during military exercises in the Mangystau region.

The commission was formed by order of Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and includes the Minister of Defence, the Akim (Governor) of Mangystau region, senior officials from the ministries of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, Emergency Situations, Health and Transport, the Chief Military Prosecutor, and representatives of the Border Service.

Bektenov instructed Kanat Bozumbayev, who heads the commission, to immediately travel to the site of the emergency and launch work to ensure a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances and causes of the servicemen’s deaths. He also ordered that assistance be provided to the families of those killed.

The incident occurred during exercises conducted by the Naval Forces of Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces along the Caspian Sea coast in Mangystau. Nineteen servicemen were swept into the sea after weather conditions deteriorated sharply and winds intensified.

By Vafa Guliyeva