Tengiz Lake (Kazakh: Теңіз көлі, Teñız kölı; Russian: Тенгиз) is a saline lake in north-central part of Kazakhstan. On 16 October 1976, the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 23 unintentionally splashed down into the northern part of the lake, which was frozen, crashing through the ice. The crew was saved thanks to a very difficult but successful rescue operation.