Viewing results 1 - 6 of 2
Search teams, including divers, have recovered two bodies from a lake in Kazakhstan where a military-operated helicopter crashed more than two weeks ago, the Ministry of Defense said Sunday. “Currently, an identification procedure is being carried out with the participation of competent authorities,” the ministry said on Telegram. It said the search operation was being conducted “around the clock” and involved personnel and resources from multiple government ministries and agencies. Authorities have said three people were on the chopper. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations launched an intensive search and rescue operation after the EC145 helicopter was reported missing on July 25 in the area of Otar, a village west of Almaty. Satellite detection methods spotted oily water on Lake Sorbulak, about 40 kilometers northwest of Almaty, and searchers quickly found aircraft debris believed to belong to Kazakhstan’s Air Defense Forces. Searchers have used echo sounders as well as aerial and underwater drones in the operation. The Eurocopter EC145 is a twin-engine, light utility aircraft.
A military helicopter crashed in western Kazakhstan during a training flight on Saturday, killing a veteran pilot who was involved in flood control efforts earlier this year and injuring the other two servicemen who were on board. The crash happened near the village of Saryzhar in the Aktobe Region, according to authorities. Kazakh media reports said a fire broke out on impact. “The preliminary cause of the incident is considered to be a technical malfunction, and the details are under investigation,” Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Defense said on Telegram. “An interdepartmental emergency response team is working at the scene.” The ministry identified the serviceman who died in what it called a “hard landing” as Maj. Batyr Kairatovich Urazymbetov, an air squadron instructor from the Military Institute of Air Defense Forces. It said Urazymbetov was born in 1988 and was an experienced airman, accumulating more than 500 flight hours on the Mi-8 helicopter. “Throughout his service, he demonstrated high professionalism and dedication to duty, including participation in flood control efforts this spring. He was awarded anniversary medals and long service awards. He was married and had two children,” the ministry said. Urazymbetov’s family will receive financial aid and other support, it said. Kazakhstan’s military assisted with evacuations, building barriers to prevent water flows and other measures during devastating floods this year that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described as Kazakhstan’s worst natural disaster in 80 years. Air Squadron Commander Major Bibarys Ibraev and senior Lt. Rustem Nigmetov, a flight instructor at the military institute’s training aviation center, were injured in the crash on Saturday. They were transported to the regional hospital in Aktobe city and were in stable but serious condition. Azerbaijan’s defense minister, Col. Gen. Zakir Hasanov, said on Telegram that he was “deeply saddened” to hear about the crash and expressed condolences to the families of the dead serviceman and his injured colleagues. Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries participated in joint military exercises in Kazakhstan in July. Kazakhstan’ military has operated Soviet-designed Mi-8 helicopters since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in late 1991. Dozens of countries use the aircraft. The helicopter that crashed received its “last major overhaul” at a military facility in Almaty last year, and maintenance requirements and pre-flight preparations were in order, according to defense officials. The crew had experience dealing with bad weather, night flying and other challenging conditions.
