Turkey's president condoles with Libya after death of army chief in plane crash

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday offered his condolences after a jet crashed in the country, killing Libya’s military chief and other senior officers.

"An investigation has been launched into this tragic incident that has deeply saddened us, and our ministries will provide information about its progress,” Erdogan said.

Search teams on Wednesday recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from the jet, while efforts to retrieve the victims' remains were still underway, Turkey's interior minister said.

The private jet carrying Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other officers and three crew members crashed in Turkey on Tuesday after taking off from the capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board.

The wreckage was found near the village of Kesikkavak, in Haymana, a district about 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of Ankara.

Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

A 22-person delegation — including five family members — arrived from Libya early on Wednesday to assist in the investigation.

Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, U.N.-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s military, which has split, much like Libya’s other institutions.