ALMATY: A military helicopter has crashed in southwestern Kazakhstan, killing all 13 servicemen on board, the defence ministry said Thursday.
The crash involving the Russian-made Mi-8 aircraft occurred on Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement.
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“13 servicemen were killed… while performing their military duty,” it said.
Kazakhstan’s new president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev tweeted that he had ordered an investigation into the crash.
A Soviet-era workhorse first built in the 1960s, the Mi-8 helicopter is widely used to transport passengers and supplies to remote sites.
It has been involved in a number of recent accidents. In August last year, 18 people were killed in a crash in Siberia.
The defence ministry said on Thursday that the families of those killed would receive compensation.
Earlier came a shock when Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned from the post of president. The 78-year-old stepped down after ruling the state for nearly 30 years.