President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sent personal telegrams of condolence to the families of servicemen killed during exercises in the Mangistau region. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
He assured the relatives that they would receive all necessary assistance, and that those responsible for the tragedy would face the strictest punishment.
The telegrams were read out and delivered by the heads of the Mangistau and Turkestan regions, Supreme Mufti Nauryzbai Taganuly and public representatives.
"The telegram from Kassym-Jomart Tokayev specifically notes that the servicemen will be nominated for state awards," the statement said.
On September 24, during exercises in the Caspian Sea, 17 servicemen were swept into the open sea. Three were rescued, 14 died. On the morning of September 25, the bodies of the last two missing — Sergeant Mansur Gumarov and sailor Miras Turdybekuly — were found. After that, the search operation was completed.
September 25 was declared a day of national mourning.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that five officers of the Kazakh Defense Ministry were detained in the case of the sailors' deaths. The criminal case, opened under articles on negligence and violation of navigation rules, is under special control of the Prosecutor General's Office. A government commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev was created to determine the causes of the emergency. The vice-premier promised that the families of the sailors who died during the exercises in the Caspian Sea would receive all due payments without delay.