BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 24. The Minister of
Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir
Hasanov, has conveyed his condolences to the Minister of Defense of
the Republic of Kazakhstan, Lieutenant General Dauren Kosanov.
This was announced by the press service of the Azerbaijani
Ministry of Defense.
The condolence letter says: “I am deeply saddened by the news
that nine servicemen lost their lives after being swept out to sea
during exercises in the Caspian Sea, while one serviceman was
injured and seven others remain missing. I pray for the souls of
those who lost their lives in this tragic incident, share the grief
of their relatives, and express my deepest condolences to their
families. I wish the injured serviceman a speedy recovery. I hope
that the search and rescue operations will have positive results.
May Allah grant eternal peace to the deceased.”
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan,
the servicemen were swept into the sea due to a sudden
deterioration in weather conditions and intensifying winds during
exercises held by the Naval Forces of the Kazakh Armed Forces in
the Mangystau region.
A total of 19 servicemen fell into the sea; nine deaths have
been confirmed, and three servicemen were rescued. One of the
rescued servicemen has been hospitalized.
Search operations for the remaining servicemen are ongoing.
Units from the Naval Forces and the Ministry of Emergency
Situations, along with aviation and other services, have been
deployed for the search-and-rescue operation.
A commission from the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan has been
dispatched to the scene to establish the full circumstances of the
incident and coordinate the search operation. The commission is led
by the Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Dauren Kosanov.
