Nine Kazakh troops killed, seven missing during Caspian Sea naval drills
Almost two dozen servicemen were swept into the Caspian Sea during a naval exercise on Thursday, Kazakhstan’s Defence Ministry confirmed. Military units, first responders and aircraft were dispatched to search for survivors.
The accident occurred on 24 September in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region, while troops were conducting a training combat mission on the Caspian coast. According to a defence ministry statement, the weather has suddenly deteriorated in the water area, with strong winds sweeping 19 servicemen into the sea.
Three men were rescued, including one who was taken to hospital. Nine deaths had been confirmed by Thursday afternoon, leaving seven servicemen unaccounted for. Navy vessels and the emergency ministry’s aircraft were scrambled to search for survivors.
Later in the day, Lt General Dauren Kosanov, Kazakhstan’s defence minister, and an ad hoc task force have departed for the Caspian to lead the search and rescue effort.
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What we know about the drills
The accident occurred during the Khazar Korgany-2026 exercises, which began on 22 September in Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea sector. More than 500 Navy personnel participated, along with warship crews, the Coast Guard and air defence units.
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Kazakhstan suffered another fatal accident during the Caspian exercises in 2015, when four BTR-80 armoured personnel carriers sank, killing four servicemen. Several officers were later convicted of the incident.
Later on Thursday, Kazakhstan’s prosecutor general’s office opened a criminal investigation into the incident. An investigation team consisting of prosecutors, police, and emergency personnel was on the scene, and forensic examinations were ordered.
