On Tuesday, November 11th, a Turkish C-130 military cargo plane crashed in Georgia after taking off from Azerbaijan. The Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed that there were at least 20 Turkish personnel on board, including the crew. Authorities reported no specific numbers of casualties, and rescue teams have been dispatched to the scene.
The plane crashed in the Kakheti region near the city of Sighnaghi, which borders Georgia and Azerbaijan.
President of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan, paused his speech in Ankara that day to mourn “our martyrs,” indirectly confirming the casualties on board.
President Erdogan did not disclose the cause of the crash or provide specific numbers of casualties. Local media indicated that the plane carried personnel from both Turkey and Azerbaijan.
After a phone call with Erdogan, President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, also expressed condolences for the “tragic news of military personnel loss.”
Both Turkish and Georgian authorities have not revealed the specific cause of the crash or the exact number of deaths.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated they are coordinating with Georgian authorities to reach the crash site. Georgia has initiated a criminal investigation into the incident, citing violations of flight safety regulations leading to casualties.
The involved aircraft, a C-130 Hercules, is a widely used four-engine turboprop military transport plane in air forces worldwide. Its versatile design allows for various missions, including serving as an armed helicopter, conducting airborne assault, and reconnaissance operations.