Turkish military plane crash in Georgia claims 20 lives: A tragic loss leaves families and officials in mourning
A Turkish military transport plane crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, claiming the lives of all 20 personnel on board, including the crew, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry. The incident, which has stunned both nations, occurred as the aircraft was en route from Azerbaijan back to Turkey. The crash site is located in the Sighnaghi Municipality, roughly five kilometers from the Azerbaijani-Georgian border. Video footage taken from the scene showed the large plane spiraling down before crashing into the ground.
The Turkish Defense Ministry confirmed that the aircraft, a C-130 military transport plane, took off from Azerbaijan and was flying back to Turkey when it encountered an accident. The Georgian Interior Ministry reported that the aircraft had arrived in Azerbaijan on Tuesday morning from the Turkish city of Trabzon, on the Black Sea coast. It then took off from Ganja at 1:20 p.m. local time and disappeared from radar just 27 minutes later, according to NTV news channel.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, stating, “I offer my condolences to our nation and their families.” In a separate statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that an operation to recover the wreckage was underway in coordination with Georgian officials.
The crash has sparked an outpouring of condolences and support from both nations. While the exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, the tragedy has drawn international attention and has raised questions about the safety of military operations involving the region’s airspace. As officials work to recover the wreckage, families of the victims and officials from both countries are left to mourn this tragic loss.