Turkish military plane with 20 on board crashes near Georgia-Azerbaijan border
Dramatic images shared in Azerbaijani media show the plane turning horizontally and releasing a large cloud of black smoke after the crash. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said authorities were working with their counterparts in Georgia to reach the wreckage.
The plane crashed in Georgia’s Sighnaghi region, about five kilometers from the Azerbaijani border.
A Turkish military cargo plane carrying 20 people crashed in Georgia on Tuesday while returning home from Azerbaijan. The Ministry of National Defense confirmed the accident and said, “Our C-130 military cargo plane, which took off from Azerbaijan to return home, crashed on the Georgia-Azerbaijan border.” He added that there were “20 personnel on board, including the flight crew.” According to the statement, search and rescue efforts continue.
Dramatic images shared in Azerbaijani media show the plane turning horizontally and releasing a large cloud of black smoke after the accident. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that authorities were working with their counterparts in Georgia to reach the wreckage and expressed his sadness for “our martyrs”. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to the Turkish leader in his post on social media. Georgia’s interior ministry confirmed that the plane crashed in the Sighnaghi region, about five kilometers from the country’s border with Azerbaijan.
Georgian air traffic control service said the plane disappeared from radar shortly after entering Georgian airspace and emergency services were informed of the accident. The C-130 Hercules military cargo plane involved in the accident was produced by the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
