Turkey says all 20 soldiers killed in transport plane crash in Georgia

Turkey’s defence force has confirmed that all 20 soldiers on board a military transport plane that crashed in neighbouring Georgia on Tuesday have died.

The C-130 plane had taken off from Ganja, Azerbaijan, and was heading back to Turkey when the accident took place.

Images from the site show burned out bits of the 57-year-old C-130 scattered over farmland near the border with Azerbaijan as search-and-rescue teams scan the grounds.

A Turkish accident investigation team reach the area on Wednesday but are yet to determine the cause of the crash.

It is being reported that contact with the plane was lost a few minutes after it entered Georgia’s airspace. It had not issued a distress signal.

C-130s are widely used by Ankara’s armed forces for transporting personnel and handling logistical operations.

Turkey and Azerbaijan maintain close military cooperation.

NATO has expressed its condolences to Ankara, following the crash which is the alliance member’s deadliest military incident since February 2020.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili have also expressed their sorrow to their Turkish counterparts.