A Turkish search team has recovered 19 bodies and the flight data recorder from the military C-130 cargo aircraft that crashed in eastern Georgia, near the Azerbaijani border. The plane, carrying 20 soldiers, went down on Tuesday in Sighnaghi municipality of the Kakheti region.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the update on Wednesday during a meeting of the ruling AK Party in Ankara. The Ministry of National Defence later announced that all personnel on board had lost their lives, making it Turkiye’s deadliest military aviation incident since 2020.
Investigation Under Way
Erdogan said rescue and investigation efforts are continuing at the site, with authorities still searching for the body of the 20th soldier. He assured that the cause of the crash will be examined in detail.
A specialized accident investigation team from Turkiye has reached Georgia and is working with local authorities to examine the wreckage, which is scattered across a wide farmland area surrounded by hills.
Footage released by Azerbaijani media showed black smoke rising from the crash site, with debris spread across multiple points.
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Plane Lost Contact Shortly After Entering Georgian Airspace
Georgia’s Sakaeronavigatsia air traffic service reported that the aircraft vanished from radar within minutes of entering the country’s airspace. Officials said no emergency signal was issued before impact.
According to local reports, the cargo aircraft took off from Ganja, Azerbaijan, heading toward Merzifon in northern Turkiye. It had originally departed from Kayseri on Monday to pick up personnel in Azerbaijan.
Military and Global Reactions
Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler posted photographs of the soldiers in uniform, calling them “our heroic martyrs.”
Turkiye and Azerbaijan maintain close military cooperation, and Turkish officers routinely train Azerbaijani forces. Only days before the crash, Erdogan attended Victory Day celebrations in Baku, marking Azerbaijan’s 2020 success in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Condolences poured in from leaders across the world, including Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Egypt, Qatar, Italy, Malta, the United States and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
US-based Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the C-130 Hercules, also expressed condolences and pledged full support in the investigation.
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Aircraft Background
Reports in Turkish media say the aircraft belonged to the 12th Air Base Command in Kayseri. Built in 1968, the plane originally served with the Saudi military before being purchased by Turkiye in 2010.
The C-130 is widely used by armed forces around the world to transport troops, heavy cargo and equipment.
