The body of Senior Lieutenant Olzhas Mukhtaruly, who died during exercises in the Caspian Sea, has been flown to Turkestan on a special military flight. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Defense reported the transfer of the serviceman's body to his homeland, according to infohub.kz.
"The body of Senior Lieutenant Olzhas Mukhtaruly, who died during exercises in the Mangystau region, was delivered by military aircraft to his homeland — Turkestan," the defense ministry said in a statement.
Olzhas Mukhtaruly was a native of the Turkestan region. His body was brought to the region for farewell ceremonies and burial.
Earlier, it was also reported that the bodies of three servicemen from the West Kazakhstan region who died during the Caspian Sea exercises had been delivered to Oral. Farewell ceremonies and burials will take place on September 26.
Recall that on September 24, during combat training tasks by the Naval Forces in the Caspian, a sudden storm and gusty winds swept 17 servicemen out to the open sea. As a result of the incident, 14 people died.
A government commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev has been established to determine the causes of the emergency. A criminal case opened under articles on negligence and violation of navigation rules is under special supervision by the Prosecutor General's Office.
In connection with the deaths of the soldiers, President Qasym-Jomart Toqaev declared September 25 a day of national mourning in Kazakhstan.
The Prosecutor General's Office said it had questioned 30 servicemen and identified a circle of suspects.
Five officers of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Defense have been detained in the case of the deaths of servicemen during the "Khazar Qorgans – 2026" exercises in the Caspian.