20 Turkish Military Killed In Georgia Plane Crash

A Turkish C-130 military cargo plane, carrying a minimum of 20 personnel, crashed in Georgia shortly after taking off from Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

Authorities have reported an unspecified number of casualties, and rescue teams are en route to the crash site.

In response to the incident, President Tayyip Erdogan paused a speech in Ankara to express condolences for “our martyrs,” a term he commonly uses to refer to both combat fatalities and service members who lose their lives during their regular duties.

Erdogan, his office and the ministry did not say what caused the crash, and they did not provide the number of casualties. Local media said, without citing numbers, that there were both Turkish and Azeri personnel on board.

After a call with Erdogan, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said, according to an official readout, that he had discussed “the tragic news of the loss of servicemen” in the crash, which happened near Georgia’s border with Azerbaijan.

Turkey’s Defence Ministry said 20 Turkish personnel were on board, including the flight crew, but provided no additional details on possible passengers of other nationalities.

Turkey and Georgia said they were working to reach the site. Erdogan was handed a note by his aides as he was finishing a speech in Ankara.

“God willing, we will overcome this crash with minimum hardships. May God rest the soul of our martyrs, and let us be with them through our prayers,” he said. Georgia’s Interpress news agency said the plane had crashed in Sighnaghi, a municipality in the Kakheti region in eastern Georgia, bordering Azerbaijan. It said the incident was being investigated.

US firm Lockheed Martin, which makes the C-130 Hercules that is widely used by air forces around the world, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The C-130 Hercules is a cargo, troop and equipment carrier aircraft. It is described as a four-engine, turboprop military transport aircraft that can make use of unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings.

Its versatile airframe has enabled it to be used for other purposes as well, including as a gunship and for airborne assault and reconnaissance operations. It is now viewed as one of the main tactical airlifters for many militaries.