Azerbaijan has extended official condolences to Kazakhstan following a tragedy in the Caspian Sea, where nine Kazakh servicemen died during exercises, infohub.kz reports.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense both sent their condolences. The diplomatic agency said it was deeply saddened by the tragedy and expressed sympathy to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and government of Kazakhstan.
"May Allah grant eternal peace to the deceased and give their families strength and patience in this difficult time. We hope for the safe rescue of those still missing and wish a speedy recovery to the injured serviceman," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
A separate condolence message was sent to Kazakhstan's Defense Minister, Dauren Kosanov, by his Azerbaijani counterpart, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov.
"I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of nine servicemen who drowned during exercises in the Caspian Sea, the injury of one serviceman, and the disappearance of seven others. I express my deep condolences to the relatives and friends of those killed in this accident and wish a speedy recovery to the injured serviceman. I hope for a positive outcome of the search and rescue operations. May the Almighty rest the souls of the deceased. Allah rahmat elasin!" Day.Az quoted the condolence message as saying.
Recall that the emergency occurred on September 24 during combat training tasks on the coast of the Caspian Sea in the Mangystau Region: 19 servicemen were swept out to sea. According to the Kazakh Ministry of Defense, nine people died, three were rescued, one of whom was hospitalized. Seven servicemen are still being searched for.
A criminal case has been opened into the deaths of the servicemen. The Prosecutor General's Office has established an investigative task force to determine the circumstances of the incident.