A guard commander has been fatally shot at a military unit in Zhambyl region, Kazakhstan.

At the third guard post, a weapons officer of the departmental security accidentally fired a rifle, striking the commander, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

Both individuals were civilian employees of the Military Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, not active-duty soldiers.

The wounded commander was rushed to a military hospital in critical condition, but could not be saved.

The military investigative department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has confirmed that a pretrial investigation is underway.