20 Turkish Soldiers Die in Military Plane Crash Near Georgia-Azerbaijan Border

A Turkish military cargo plane crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border on Tuesday, killing all 20 soldiers aboard, Turkey’s defence ministry confirmed on Wednesday.

The C-130 Hercules aircraft had taken off from Azerbaijan and was returning to Turkey when it disappeared from radar shortly after entering Georgian airspace. The plane went down in the Sighnaghi area of Georgia, about five kilometers from the Azerbaijani border.

“Our aircraft that crashed had 20 personnel on board, including the flight crew. Search and rescue operations are ongoing,” the ministry said in an official statement.

Videos circulating on social media showed dramatic footage of the plane spinning horizontally before crashing to the ground. The impact created a large cloud of black smoke, and later footage appeared to show burning wreckage in a field with onlookers nearby.

Turkey’s defence ministry has requested that media outlets refrain from publishing images of the crash site.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences for the victims, whom he referred to as “martyrs.” He said Turkey is working closely with Georgian authorities to reach the crash site and complete recovery operations.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev also extended his sympathies to President Erdogan in a post on social media platform X. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke with his Georgian counterpart Maka Bochorishvili to coordinate search and rescue efforts.

Georgia’s interior ministry confirmed the crash location, while the country’s air traffic control service, Sakaeronavigatsia, said the plane vanished from radar without sending any distress signal.

“A Turkish C-130 aircraft disappeared from Sakaeronavigatsia’s radar a few minutes after entering Georgian airspace, without transmitting a distress signal,” the service said. They immediately notified the departure airport in Ganja, Azerbaijan, and Turkish officials.

The C-130 Hercules is a military cargo plane manufactured by US company Lockheed Martin and is widely used by armed forces around the world.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is expected to begin once recovery operations are complete.