A Turkish military cargo plane carrying at least 20 people has crashed near the Azerbaijan-Georgia border, Turkey's defense ministry has reported. Although the exact number of casualties has not been confirmed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences to our martyrs.
Search and rescue operations have commenced at the crash site, which included flight crew among the individuals on board. The C-130 cargo plane was traveling from Azerbaijan to Turkey at the time of the incident.
Images from the scene depict emergency services alongside what appears to be wreckage from the aircraft. Georgia’s aviation authority has stated that the plane lost contact with radar without issuing a distress signal, crashing near Sighnaghi, about 5 km (3 miles) from the Azerbaijan border.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev shared his profound sorrow over the tragedy, extending condolences to President Erdogan and the Turkish people. The U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, also expressed deep sadness over the event, offering heartfelt condolences to the affected families and the Turkish Armed Forces.
The C-130, a transport plane manufactured in the United States, is widely utilized by air forces around the globe.
