Five senior military officials in Kazakhstan have been detained on suspicion of criminal negligence after 14 service members died when 17 were swept into the Caspian Sea as they disembarked from a boat during an exercise near Aktau on Thursday; three were rescued.
The detained officials include the chief of staff and first deputy commander of Kazakhstan’s Naval Forces, two military-unit commanders, and the commanders of a marine company and a boat. An Interior Ministry committee has been set up to investigate. Deputy Interior Minister Sanzhar Adilov said the pretrial inquiry is examining exercise decisions, safety compliance, weather considerations and the boat’s technical specifications.
Officials said the incident occurred during a combat training mission amid sharply worsening weather and increasing winds. It took place about 43km (27 miles) from Aktau during the Caspian Defense 2026 exercise, which Kazakhstan’s defence ministry said involved more than 500 military personnel, warships and coastal units.
