November 14, 2025 08:43 PM IST
First published on: Nov 14, 2025 at 08:43 PM IST
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Authorities and family members attend the funeral of Turkish military personnel Umit Ince, Cem Dolapci and Cuneyt Kandemir, who died in a plane crash in Georgia, at the Ahmet Hamdi Akseki mosque, in Ankara, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo)
Turkey held a funeral ceremony Friday for 20 military personnel who died when a C-130 transport plane crashed in Georgia earlier this week.
The aircraft had been flying from Ganja in Azerbaijan to Turkey on Tuesday when it went down in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality near the Azerbaijani border. The cause of the crash is being investigated.
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Relatives and Turkish military personnel pray during the funeral of Turkish military personnel Umit Ince, Cem Dolapci and Cuneyt Kandemir, who died in a plane crash in Georgia, at the Ahmet Hamdi Akseki mosque, in Ankara, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo)
The victims included crew members and military staff responsible for maintaining and repairing Turkish F-16 fighter jets. The jets had travelled to Azerbaijan for Victory Day events marking the country’s 2020 military gains over Armenia in the long-running conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
At an airbase in Ankara, families, officials and soldiers gathered in front of 20 coffins draped with the Turkish flag. The bodies were later taken to the victims’ hometowns for burial, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Turkish soldiers carry coffins during the funeral of Turkish military personnel Umit Ince, Cem Dolapci and Cuneyt Kandemir, who died in a plane crash in Georgia, at the Ahmet Hamdi Akseki mosque, in Ankara, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo)
Turkey’s Defence Ministry said the armed forces have grounded their remaining 18 C-130 planes until technical checks are completed. C-130s are widely used by the military for transport and logistics.
The ministry said an accident investigation team was sent to the crash site. The aircraft’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder are being examined in Ankara.
“There was no ammunition on board the aircraft when it crashed,” the ministry said, according to AP.
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Authorities and family members attend the funeral of Turkish military personnel Umit Ince, Cem Dolapci and Cuneyt Kandemir, who died in a plane crash in Georgia, at the Ahmet Hamdi Akseki mosque, in Ankara, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo) 
