On Wednesday, Turkey’s defense ministry reported the tragic crash of a Turkish military cargo plane in Georgia, resulting in the death of 20 soldiers on Tuesday.
The ministry stated, “Our crashed aircraft had 20 personnel on board, including the flight crew. Search and rescue operations are continuing.”
According to the ministry, “Our C-130 military cargo plane, which departed from Azerbaijan to return home, crashed at the Georgia-Azerbaijan border,” confirming “20 personnel, including the crew, were on board.”
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Dramatic footage in Azerbaijani media reportedly shows the plane spiraling as it plummeted, creating a large black smoke cloud upon impact. Videos from the crash site allegedly display burning wreckage with onlookers in a nearby field.
The Turkish defense ministry urged the media not to share crash images. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Turkey is collaborating with Georgian authorities “to locate the wreckage,” expressing condolences “for our martyrs,” as reported by Anadolu state news agency.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev extended sympathies to the Turkish leader via a post on X. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also discussed search and rescue efforts with his Georgian counterpart Maka Bochorishvili over the phone, according to the ministry’s statement.
Georgia’s interior ministry confirmed the crash occurred in the Sighnaghi area, “approximately five kilometers (3.1 miles) from the Georgia-Azerbaijan border.”
Georgia’s Sakaeronavigatsia air traffic control reported that the plane vanished from radar shortly after entering Georgian airspace, with emergency services notifying them of the crash.
“A Turkish C-130 aircraft disappeared from Sakaeronavigatsia’s radar a few minutes after entering Georgian airspace, without sending a distress signal,” said a statement, noting that “search and rescue operations” were launched.
The airport in Ganja, Azerbaijan, from where the Turkish aircraft departed, has been informed, along with Turkish authorities.
The C-130 Hercules military cargo plane is manufactured by US company Lockheed Martin.
