Kazakhstan finds dead body, fragments of missing military helicopter in lake

10/8/2025 13:20

A dead human body and fragments of a military helicopter were found in Lake Sorbulak in Kazakhstan's Almaty Region during a search operation, the country's Defense Ministry said Friday.



The ministry said that mathematical calculations based on satellite data helped identify the approximate location of the missing aircraft. Search teams and specialized equipment were then sent to the area, where divers discovered partial wreckage and a corpse at a depth of about 14 meters. Identification work is underway.



The search is complicated due to poor underwater visibility and silt deposits, the ministry said.



The EC-145 helicopter, with three crew members on board, went missing from radar on July 25. Space monitoring later detected an oily slick on the lake, where rescuers found aircraft fragments the following day, believed to belong to the Air Defense Forces.