Condolences from AK Party Spokesperson Çelik for the military exercise accident in Kazakhstan

AK Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik published a condolence message after 12 soldiers lost their lives during the military exercise held on the Caspian Sea coast of Kazakhstan.

In his statement on his social media account, Çelik said, "We learned with deep sadness that 12 soldiers were martyred as a result of an accident during the military exercise in the Caspian Sea in sister Kazakhstan." he said.

Expressing his condolences to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives and the people of Kazakhstan, Çelik also touched upon the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

Çelik said, "We deeply share the pain of our Kazakh brothers and sisters on the declared national day of mourning and hope to receive good news from the ongoing search and rescue efforts. Your pain is our pain." he said.

17 SOLDIERS WERE DRAWED INTO THE SEA

The accident occurred during military training held on Thursday in the Mangistau region in western Kazakhstan.

The Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan announced that 17 soldiers were dragged into the Caspian Sea as a result of the sudden deterioration of weather conditions and the intensification of the wind.

While initial statements stated that nine soldiers lost their lives, the Mangistau regional administration later announced that the loss of life increased to 12.

THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR TWO SOLDIERS

While three of the soldiers who were dragged into the sea were rescued alive, search and rescue efforts continue to find the two missing soldiers.

A commission chaired by Defense Minister Dauren Kosanov was also sent to the region to investigate the causes of the accident and coordinate search and rescue efforts.

Kazakhstan President Kasım Jomert Tokayev declared Friday a national day of mourning across the country following the disaster.