Turkish military cargo plane crashes over Georgia-Azerbaijan border, President Erdogan confirms deaths | Watch

A Turkish military cargo plane has crashed in Georgia while flying from Azerbaijan to return to its home, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

The crash happened at the Georgia-Azerbaijan border, it said, adding that the affected aircraft was a C-130 military plane.

“Our C-130 military cargo plane, which took off from Azerbaijan to return home, has crashed at the Georgia-Azerbaijan border,” the Turkish Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that it was coordinating with Georgian authorities to reach the site of the plane crash.

Search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with authorities in both countries, it said further.

Visuals of the plane crash circulating on social media show the herculean aircraft undergrowing a free fall as plumes of smoke rise from it as it crashes. The aircraft fell in a mountaneous territory.

Flight tracking websites showed that the plane had departed from Ganja but lost its signal over the Georgina territory.

Turkish plane crash: Deaths

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed there have been casulaties due to the plane crash but did not specify a number.

Erdogan said he was “deeply saddened” by the crash and expressed his condolences for the “martyrs”.

“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.

The President was finishing a speech in Ankara when he received the news. Erdogan was handed a note by his aides, after which he reacted to the tragic incident.

Where did the Turkish plane crash happen?

The Turkish cargo plane crash took place in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality, located around 5 kilometres away from the Azerbaijan border, the country’s Interior Ministry said in a Facebook post.

An investigation into the incident is underway, it added.

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.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said he had spoken by phone to his Georgian counterpart, adding the Georgian minister was en route to the crash site.

C-130 military cargo planes are widely used by Turkey’s armed forces for transporting personnel and handling logistical operations.

The C-130 Hercules, built by Lockheed Martin, can carry up to 42,000 pounds (19,000 kilograms) of cargo including helicopters and personnel, according to the US Air Force’s website.