Senior Kazakh officials detained after 14 service members swept out to sea

Five senior military officials have been detained in Kazakhstan following the death of 14 service members who were taking part in military exercises.

Those who died were among a total of 17 who were swept into the Caspian Sea as they were disembarking from a boat on Thursday. Officials say the incident occurred “during a combat training mission due to a sharp deterioration in meteorological conditions and increasing winds”.

Three were rescued.

Those detained 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. They are suspected of criminal negligence.

An interior ministry committee has been set up to investigate the incident, which occurred some 43km (27 miles) from the city of Aktau in south-western Kazakstan.

Deputy Interior Minister Sanzhar Adilov said a pretrial investigation into the deaths was being conducted.

The investigation was looking into the decisions made during the organisation and execution of the military training exercise, whether safety requirements had been observed, and weather conditions had been taken into account – in addition to technical specifications of the boat.

More than 500 military personnel, warships and coastal units were participating in the Caspian Defense 2026 military exercise, according to the Kazakh ministry of defence.