Tokayev declares national mourning in Kazakhstan on September 25

Earlier, the Head of State expressed condolences to the relatives and friends of the dead soldiers. In addition, he instructed the government commission to establish all the circumstances of the tragedy and provide the necessary assistance to the families of the victims.

We will remind, the tragedy occurred on September 24 in the Mangystau region: during the exercises of the naval forces of the military carried into the sea. The emergency occurred while performing a combat training task on the Caspian coast - the weather deteriorated sharply, the wind increased. According to preliminary data, the disaster claimed 19 soldiers: nine were killed, three were rescued, one of them was hospitalized. The search for the rest continues, rescue services are sent to the scene.

A government commission has been formed to investigate the causes of the incident. It included the Minister of Defense, akim of Mangystau region, representatives of the Ministries of Labor and Social Protection, Emergency Situations, Health and Transport, the Chief Military Prosecutor, as well as representatives of the Border Service.

Condolences to Kazakhstan were expressed abroad: the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, conveyed words of support to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and government of the country, expressing hope for the rescue of the missing and wishing a speedy recovery to the victims.

Two days before the tragedy, the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan reported on the start of the Khazar Korgany-2026 naval exercises, detailing their scale, goals and composition of participants. The maneuvers were led by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Captain 1st Rank Kanat Niyazbekov. The exercises involved more than 500 Navy and attached units, crews of warships and coastal units, as well as the Coast Guard of the KNB Border Service for Mangystau region and the Air Defense Forces.

The Defense Ministry explained: "The main purpose of the exercise is to improve the professional training of personnel, increase the level of combat readiness of crews and practice the interaction of forces and means in performing tasks for their intended purpose.".