Twenty people, including the flight crew, were on board the Turkish C-130 military cargo plane, which took off from Azerbaijan, and crashed on the border with Georgia while en route to Turkey. This was stated by the Ankara Ministry of Defense, adding that the rescue operation was being carried out in coordination with the Azerbaijani and Georgian authorities.
Currently Türkiye and Georgian authorities have not reported any information regarding casualties. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reported casualties but did not provide details. Erdogan said he was “deeply saddened” by the incident and offered his condolences to the “martyrs”.
The C-130 military transport aircraft is widely used by the Turkish Armed Forces to transport personnel and manage logistics operations. Türkiye and Azerbaijan maintain close military cooperation.
Georgia: investigation launched into downed cargo plane
A Turkish military cargo plane carrying 20 people on board crashed in the Georgian city of Sighnaghi, near the border with Azerbaijan. This was reported by the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, adding that an investigation has been launched. Video images broadcast by Turkish news showed the plane diving down, leaving a trail of white smoke.
Tajani: solidarity with Türkiye over military plane crash
“I was saddened to learn of the crash of a Turkish C130 military cargo plane on Georgian territory while en route from Azerbaijan to Türkiye. I express my solidarity with the Turkish people, the authorities, the armed forces and all the rescuers who intervened at the scene. Condolences to the families of the victims.” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote this in a post on X where he tagged his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
