Turkish Military Plane Crashes in Georgia: All 20 on Board Presumed Dead
C-130 Transport Aircraft Went Down Near Azerbaijan Border; Recovery Operation Underway with Georgian Cooperation
Georgia, PUREWILAYAH.COM - A Turkish Air Force C-130 military transport plane crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.
Although the death toll has not been officially confirmed, all 20 personnel on board, including the crew, are presumed dead.
The Georgian Interior Ministry reported that the aircraft took off from Azerbaijan and was returning to Türkiye when it went down in Sighnaghi Municipality, about five kilometers from the Azerbaijani–Georgian border.
Video footage from the crash site shows the large plane spiraling uncontrollably before hitting the ground.
Investigation and Recovery Efforts Underway
According to Turkish news channel NTV, the aircraft had arrived in Azerbaijan on Tuesday morning from Trabzon, a city on Türkiye’s Black Sea coast. It took off from Ganja at 1:20 p.m. local time and disappeared from radar 27 minutes later, NTV reported.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said his Georgian counterpart, Gela Geladze, was present at the crash site.
“I offer my condolences to our nation and their families,” Yerlikaya wrote on X.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that a joint operation to recover the wreckage was underway in coordination with Georgian officials. (PW)