Kazakhstan arrests five officers after 14 die during drill
Reuters and AFP, ASTANA and ALMATY
Authorities in Kazakhstan have arrested five Ministry of Defense officials, including the first deputy navy commander, a day after 17 servicemen were swept out to sea when the weather deteriorated quickly, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said yesterday.
The incident happened on Thursday when military personnel were disembarking from a patrol boat on the Caspian Sea coast in rough weather.
Kazakhstan yesterday said two more bodies had been found, bringing the final death toll to 14.
Kazakh military personnel conduct search and rescue operations at an undisclosed location in the waters of the Caspian Sea in an undated photograph.
Photo: AFP / Kazakh Defence Ministry
Three other people were rescued after being thrown into the water.
The search and rescue operation has concluded, the defense ministry said.
The interior ministry said the five senior officials had been detained on suspicion of negligence and violations of navigation rules.
Investigators were examining the decisions taken by those arrested, their adherence to safety rules and whether they had taken proper account of the weather conditions, as well as the technical state of the boat.
Kazakhstan has a small navy of about 3,000 personnel based on the Caspian Sea, operating patrol and missile boats to protect its maritime border and offshore energy infrastructure.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared yesterday a nationwide day of mourning in the Central Asian state.
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