Turkey's National Defense Ministry said an Air Force C-130 military cargo plane returning to Turkey from Azerbaijan crashed in Georgia. The ministry said search and rescue operations have been launched in coordination with Georgian authorities. It is not clear how many crew members were on board the plane. However, some local media are putting the number of crew members at 20.
The Turkish Defense Ministry made the announcement on the social media platform 'X'. "Our C-130 military cargo plane, which was flying home from Azerbaijan, crashed on the Georgia-Azerbaijan border," it said. In a statement, Georgia's Interior Ministry confirmed the crash of the Turkish military plane. The ministry said it went down about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Georgia's state border with Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at an event in the capital Ankara that he hoped the cargo plane crash would result in minimal casualties. He paid tribute to those killed and said Turkish authorities were at the scene and taking necessary measures. Video footage was published on Turkish news channels showing the plane falling and sending plumes of white smoke.
Azerbaijani President issues condolence message
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also expressed deep sorrow over the death of the soldiers in a condolence message. Azerbaijan has also offered assistance in the rescue operation of the military cargo plane. Turkey and Azerbaijan have long had strong defense ties and are close allies.
Turkey buys C-130 aircraft from America
The C-130, manufactured by US defense company Lockheed Martin, has been part of the Turkish Air Force fleet since 1964. Turkey currently operates 19 C-130E and C-130B Hercules aircraft. In October, the Defense Ministry announced plans to buy 12 more C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft from Britain to increase its capabilities.