VIDEO: Turkish military cargo plane crashes near Azerbaijan-Georgia border
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- Turkish C-130 military plane carrying 20 personnel crashes near Georgia-Azerbaijan border.
- Search and rescue operations ongoing in coordination with Georgian authorities.
- Footage shows plane spinning and wreckage burning at crash site.
- Presidents Erdogan and Aliyev express condolences; Turkish Foreign Minister coordinates with Georgia.
A Turkish military cargo aircraft carrying 20 personnel crashed in Georgia on Tuesday while returning from Azerbaijan, the Turkish Defence Ministry confirmed.
"Our C-130 military cargo plane, which took off from Azerbaijan to return home, has crashed at the Georgia-Azerbaijan border," the ministry said in a statement, confirming all 20 passengers, including the flight crew, were on board. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Dramatic footage shared by Azerbaijani media appeared to show the plane spinning out of control before hitting the ground, sending up a large cloud of black smoke. Other images purportedly from the crash site showed charred wreckage burning as bystanders watched from nearby fields.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is coordinating with Georgian authorities “to reach the wreckage,” expressing sorrow “for our martyrs,” according to Anadolu state news agency. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev extended condolences to Erdogan via social media.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke with his Georgian counterpart Maka Bochorishvili to discuss search and rescue efforts. Georgia’s interior ministry reported the crash occurred in the Sighnaghi area, roughly five kilometres from the Azerbaijani border.
Georgia’s Sakaeronavigatsia air traffic control said the plane disappeared from radar shortly after entering Georgian airspace, without transmitting a distress signal, and search operations were immediately launched. The airport in Ganja, Azerbaijan, from which the plane departed, has also been notified.
The aircraft involved was a Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules military cargo plane.
