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.
