Turkish military cargo plane crashes in neighboring Georgia, killing 20 troops

Turkey’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that 20 soldiers were killed on Tuesday when a military cargo plane crashed in neighboring Georgia on its way back from Azerbaijan. 

Georgian Interior Minister Gela Geladze said 18 bodies had been found at the crash site of the Turkish C-130 plane, adding that the search continued for two more bodies, according to the Reuters news agency.

Communication with the plane was lost 27 minutes into its flight to Turkey, according to media outlets in the country. 

Video posted online and aired by Turkish media showed the tail of the plane breaking off from the fuselage in the air as the large plane spun out of control and plunged toward the earth. Another clip shared by the Reuters news agency showed debris scattered across farmland in Georgia.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense published photos of the 20 servicemen killed in the crash on social media on Tuesday, with the message: “We burry you in our hearts.”

The ministry said Turkish officials were coordinating with Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities, and that a Turkish crash investigation team was also on the ground at the scene of the disaster.

The cause of the plane crash will be determined after a detailed examination of the wreckage by the Turkish team, the ministry said. 

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barack posted a message of condolence on social media, saying he was “deeply saddened by today’s tragic crash of a Turkish Armed Forces aircraft,” and voicing solidarity with “our Turkish allies.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also offered his sympathy to the Turkey, which is a member of the transatlantic defense alliance, saying: “We honor their service and are deeply grateful for all that the Turkish Armed Forces – and indeed all our men and women in uniform across the Alliance – do to keep us safe every day.”

Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany, Russia and others also sent condolences and expressed solidarity with Turkey after the crash.

The C-130 “Hercules” is a military transport aircraft  designed and built by the American company Lockheed Martin.

Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported that the C-130 plane that crashed had been in service for 57 years. Turkey purchased the aircraft from Saudi Arabia in 2010, after it was retired from service there, and added it to its own fleet, the newspaper said.

The families of the soldiers were informed by authorities in person across Turkey and the country’s national Anadolu news agency shared pictures of some of the soldiers’ homes draped in Turkish flags.