Servicemen who survived the Caspian tragedy have returned home. Video
Servicemen who survived the Caspian tragedy have returned home. Video
Three servicemen who survived the tragedy during exercises on the Caspian Sea have completed their conscript service and returned home. Footage of the soldiers meeting their relatives has appeared on social media.
Among those who returned is 19-year-old Akzhol Temerkhan from Zhanaozen. Following the tragedy, the serviceman was hospitalized and was recently discharged from the hospital. He became the only surviving conscript from the Mangystau Region.
Blogger Azamat Sarsenbayev met with Akzhol and his parents. According to him, the young man, along with his parents, intends to visit the families of his deceased fellow soldiers to offer his condolences.
"Usually, such special days for soldiers are accompanied by a loud, joyful atmosphere, joint souvenir photos, and eternal army friendship. But not this time," Sarsenbayev wrote.
Two other surviving servicemen — Kuandyk Beket from the Atyrau Region and Nikita Udalov from the West Kazakhstan Region — have also completed their conscript service.
The tragedy occurred on September 24 during a combat training mission. Due to a sudden deterioration in weather conditions and strong winds, 17 servicemen were swept into the Caspian Sea. Fourteen of them, including one native of Karakalpakstan, died, while three were rescued.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree posthumously awarding the deceased servicemen. The three survivors were awarded the Medal for Courage (Erligi ushin).
Earlier, Tokayev dismissed Chief of the General Staff Kanysh Aubakirov, Deputy Minister Almaz Dzhumakeyev, and Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Kanat Niyazbekov. He also dismissed the Minister of Defense.