Kazakhstan arrests 5 military officers after 14 die during naval exercise

Authorities in ​Kazakhstan have arrested five ‌Defence Ministry ​officials including the first deputy navy commander, a day after 14 servicemen ‌were swept out to sea and died during a training exercise, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.

The incident happened on Thursday ‌when military personnel were disembarking from a patrol boat ‌on the Caspian Sea coast in rough weather. Three other people were rescued after being thrown into the water. The Interior Ministry said the ⁠five ​senior officials had been ⁠detained on suspicion of negligence and violations of navigation rules.

Investigators were ⁠examining the decisions taken by those arrested, their adherence to safety ​rules and whether they had taken proper account of the ⁠weather conditions, as well as the technical state of the boat. Kazakhstan has ⁠a ​small navy of about 3,000 personnel based on the Caspian Sea, operating patrol and missile boats to protect ⁠its maritime border and offshore energy infrastructure.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ⁠declared ⁠Friday a nationwide day of mourning in the Central Asian state.