Journalism of Courage
A Turkish military cargo plane, carrying 20 personnel, crashed in Georgia close to the Azerbaijan border, according to Turkish and Georgian authorities. Turkey’s defence ministry on Wednesday said that all 20 soldiers were killed in the crash.
The incident occurred while the plane was en route back to Turkey after taking off from Azerbaijan, with reports emerging of a possible tragic outcome, although casualty details remain unconfirmed, as per Reuters report.
In a statement shared on X, the ministry said the C-130 aircraft had taken off from Azerbaijan and was flying back to Turkey when it went down. The number of crew members on board was not immediately known.
“A search and rescue operation has been launched in coordination with Azerbaijani and Georgian authorities,” the ministry said, as quoted by AP.
C-130 planes are commonly used by the Turkish armed forces to transport troops and equipment. Turkey and Azerbaijan maintain close military ties.
Video footage aired on Turkey’s private broadcaster NTV and other media outlets showed the aircraft spiralling as it fell, leaving a trail of white smoke.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he was hoping to overcome the crash of a Turkish C-130 military cargo plane in Georgia with minimum casualties and offered his condolences for “our martyrs” on the aircraft.
