Debris is seen at a crash site of a Turkish military cargo plane in Georgia's Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Debris is seen at a crash site of a Turkish military cargo plane in Georgia's Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
This photo released by Georgian Interior Ministry Press Service shows an emergency vehicle on a crash site of Turkish C-130 military cargo near the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Georgian Interior Ministry Press Service via AP)
This photo released by Georgian Interior Ministry Press Service shows an emergency vehicle on a crash site of Turkish C-130 military cargo near the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Georgian Interior Ministry Press Service via AP)
ANKARA. Turkey (AP) — A Turkish military cargo plane with 20 people on board crashed in Georgia near the border with Azerbaijan on Tuesday, authorities said, but they gave no immediate confirmation of feared casualties.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and top officials from Georgia and Azerbaijan signaled that at least some of those aboard were believed to have been killed, without providing details.
Video footage aired on Turkish news outlets appeared to show the aircraft spiraling down and leaving a trail of white smoke.
The C-130 plane had taken off from Azerbaijan and was on its way back to when it crashed, Turkey's Ministry of ºÃÉ«tv Defense said on X.
The ministry said there were 20 military personnel on board, including crew members. Georgian authorities reached the crash site at around 5 p.m., Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, adding that a search and rescue operation was continuing.
The Georgian Interior Ministry said the aircraft crashed in Georgia's Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border, adding that an investigation has begun.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency quoted the Georgian aviation authority as saying that contact with the plane was lost a few minutes after it had entered Georgia's airspace. The plane had not issued a distress call, it said.
Turkey's military deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle to support the rescue operation while an accident investigation team was making preparations to leave for Georgia, private news broadcaster NTV reported.
Erdogan said he was “deeply saddened†by the crash and expressed his condolences for the “martyrs.â€
“God willing we will overcome this accident with the least amount of setbacks possible,†Erdogan said.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili also extended their condolences to their Turkish counterparts over the crash.
“We are deeply shocked by the news of the loss of life of our soldiers in the accident that occurred on Georgian soil,†Aliyev said in a message according to the Anadolu Agency.
C-130 military cargo planes are widely used by Turkey’s armed forces for transporting personnel and handling logistical operations.
Turkey and Azerbaijan maintain close military cooperation.
Erdogan and other Turkish officials had attended Azerbaijan’s Victory Day celebrations in Baku on Nov. 8, marking Azerbaijan’s military success in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
The ºÃÉ«tv Press. All rights reserved.
It’s a little-known fact that Canada’s credit unions are among the country’s stron…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
