Wave kills 14 marines during Caspian Sea landing exercise

September 25, 2026 at 04:28 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A wave swept away 17 marines during a landing exercise on the Caspian Sea on September 24, killing 14 and leaving three rescued. Deputy Navy Commander Arman Satkanov said the soldiers had eight days left in service and had already bought tickets home. Two criminal cases have been opened and more than 30 military personnel questioned.

Key Facts

14 servicemen died and three were rescued after a wave hit a landing exercise on the Caspian Sea on September 24.
The soldiers served in a marine assault battalion and had eight days left before discharge, with tickets home already purchased.
Two criminal cases were opened and more than 30 military personnel were questioned, with officials suspected of negligent attitude to service.
A national day of mourning was declared in Kazakhstan on September 25.
A similar tragedy occurred on the Caspian in 2015, when strong wind and high waves flooded four armored personnel carriers, killing four servicemen.

The Incident

During final strategic command-staff exercises on September 24, a wave struck marines as they landed on the Caspian shore. Deputy Navy Commander Arman Satkanov said the soldiers had trained twice for the beach landing before the exercise. The wave swept away 17 servicemen; 14 died and three were rescued. The soldiers were from a marine assault battalion and had eight days left in service, with tickets home already bought. Residents of Mangystau Region had been warned of strengthening wind on September 23 and 24.

Investigation and Response

Two criminal cases were opened over the deaths, and more than 30 military personnel were questioned. Investigators identified officials suspected of negligent attitude to service. The Ministry of Defense is providing psychological and financial assistance to the families of the deceased. A national day of mourning was declared in Kazakhstan on September 25.

Previous Tragedy

A similar incident occurred on the Caspian Sea in 2015 during a landing exercise. Strong wind and high waves flooded four armored personnel carriers, killing four servicemen.