The Emergency Department of Mangystau region has refuted a story circulating on social media that the body of 18-year-old Azamat Duisekhanov, who drowned, was allegedly found thanks to advice from a folk healer. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Rescuers stated that this is nothing more than a myth, and such publications devalue the work of dozens of people who searched for the missing young man for over a week.
18-year-old Azamat Duisekhanov disappeared on July 7. On his birthday, he was relaxing with friends on the coast near the O'Mir resort hotel, approximately 48 kilometers from Aktau. From that day, a large-scale search and rescue operation began, lasting until July 15.
The search lasted eight days. Every day from morning to evening, the water area was examined by employees of the Emergency Department, the Naval Forces, the Border Service of the National Security Committee, volunteers, and representatives of other services.
During the search, boats, echo sounders, drones, special equipment, and Mi-8 helicopters were used. As a result, on July 15, the young man's body was found approximately 51 kilometers from Aktau, ten meters from the shore.
After the search ended, a video appeared on social media whose author claims that the body was found thanks to a healer's advice. According to him, relatives allegedly threw a cauldron with a lock of the mother's hair and the young man's clothes into the sea, after which the body surfaced.
As commented by the Emergency Department under the viral video, during the search, Azamat's relatives indeed turned to folk healers and quacks, hoping to get at least some help. After that, they repeatedly asked rescuers to check the places indicated by the healers.
The department emphasized that employees treated the family's condition with understanding and examined all specified areas. However, none of the assumptions were confirmed.
"The information spread on social media that the body was found 'by throwing a cauldron' does not correspond to reality and belittles the many days of selfless work of all rescuers and employees of other services who participated in the search operation," the department stressed.
Rescuers urged Kazakhstani citizens to trust only official information and reminded that spreading false information may entail liability under the law.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote about how a healer woman was tried in Aktobe for deceiving 136 people, convincing them to take out bank loans totaling 579.8 million tenge. The court sentenced the woman to 6 years and 8 months in prison with a 2-year deferment.