Istanbul.- A Lockheed C-130E Hercules aircraft The Turkish Ministry of Defense said that a Turkish military cargo ship coming from Azerbaijan and heading to Türkiye crashed on Tuesday in eastern Georgia near the border.
The Turkish government announced 20 soldiers on board were killed.
Local media reported this, without giving numbers There were Turkish and Azerbaijani personnel on board.
president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip ErdoganHe received a note from his aides while finishing his speech in Ankara. He said, “God willing, we will overcome this incident with minimal difficulties. May God have mercy on the souls of our martyrs, and let us be with them in prayer.”
“Martyrs” is a term Erdogan routinely uses to describe not only those killed in combat, but also deceased service members. In performing its public functions.
The Turkish Ministry asked the press “not to publish pictures” of the incident. Several videos purporting to show the moment of the accident began circulating on the X network.
Two videos taken from different locations show the same plane landing and departing A trail of white smoke In its wake, before it collides into the distance.
The Georgian Interior Ministry said the accident occurred in the Sighnaghi region in eastern Georgia, about five kilometers after crossing the border, Euronews reported.
He added in a statement that “an investigation has been opened,” in which he promised to publish “detailed information about the incident” soon.
The transport aircraft, call sign TUAF543, took off from Serbia International Airport Ganja, AzerbaijanThis is at 10:19 UTC, according to the specialized website Flightradar24.com.
After take-off, it turned around and headed northeast, passing under the Mingechevir reservoir.
Passing 15,000 feet, it turned northwest again before turning west, crossing the Georgia border around 10:37 UTC. He climbed continuously until he reached his cruising altitude of 24,000 feet at 1041 UTC.
The last ADS-B signal received by Flightradar24 occurred at 10:49 UTC.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to his Turkish counterpart over the incident.
Aliyev wrote in his letter: “We were deeply saddened by the tragic news regarding the loss of soldiers in the accident of a military cargo plane belonging to the Turkish Air Force, which took off from Ganja and crashed in Georgian territory.”
He added: “In this moment of pain, I share your grief, and on behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my deepest condolences to you, to the families and loved ones of the deceased, and to the brotherly people of Turkey.”
he C-130E HerculesIt is a four-engine turboprop tactical transport aircraft, widely used by the Turkish Armed Forces to transport personnel and conduct logistical operations.
Turkish Air Force flight TUAF543 was operated by a Lockheed C-130E Hercules with registration 68-1609.
The crashed aircraft was delivered by Lockheed’s Marietta factory in 1968 and initially served in Royal Saudi Air Force. Records indicate that it entered service with the Turkish Air Force in March 2010, media reported. Flightradar24.
Agence France-Presse and Reuters
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