ASTANA, September 24. /TASS/. Nineteen servicemen were swept into the Caspian Sea during Kazakh naval drills in the Central Asian republic’s Mangystau Region, nine of whom have died, Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry said in a report on Thursday.

"According to preliminary information, 19 servicemen were swept out to sea. So far, nine servicemen have been confirmed dead. Three more have been rescued, one of whom has been hospitalized. A search for the remaining servicemen is ongoing," the report reads.