Moscow, Sept 24. (dpa/GNA) – At least 12 soldiers have died during a Kazakh navy exercise in the Caspian Sea, and rescue efforts are ongoing to locate potential survivors, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
Authorities said 17 soldiers were swept out to sea, when the weather deteriorated dramatically and the wind picked up during the manoeuvre in the Mangistau region, the ministry said.
So far, three soldiers have been rescued and one of them has been hospitalized, it said. The search for the missing is ongoing, the authorities said.
The Defence Ministry said it had deployed a team to the site, to investigate the circumstances of the fatal incident and coordinate rescue efforts.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, declared a day of national mourning for Friday.
GNA