(MENAFN) A Turkish military C-130 transport aircraft traveling from Azerbaijan to Türkiye crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that one of our C-130 military aircraft, en route from Azerbaijan to our country, has crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during an event in Ankara. “Our search and rescue operations are continuing in coordination with national authorities. May God have mercy on our martyrs,” he added.

According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the plane was carrying 20 personnel, including the flight crew. In a post on social media, the ministry said that search and rescue operations were launched in coordination with Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities. Later in the day, it announced: "Georgian search and rescue teams reached the wreckage of the plane at 5 pm.

The wreckage has been secured.” The statement added that “our crash investigation team is on its way to the site,” noting that the cause of the incident would be determined after a detailed assessment by Turkish experts.
On the Turkish platform NSosyal, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya expressed “deep” sorrow over the crash. He said he had spoken by phone with Georgian Interior Minister Gela Geladze, who was en route to the crash site. Yerlikaya later reported that Geladze “reached the wreckage of our C-130 military cargo plane around 5 pm, and search and rescue efforts are continuing,” adding that they remained in close contact regarding developments.
Türkiye’s Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also wrote on NSosyal that search and rescue operations were launched “promptly” after the crash. “To ensure accurate public information, we kindly urge everyone to rely solely on statements issued by official authorities and to refrain from sharing unverified information,” he said.

According to diplomatic sources, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke by phone with his Georgian counterpart Maka Botchorishvili to coordinate ongoing rescue operations.

Botchorishvili also conveyed her condolences to Türkiye over the tragedy.

On social media, Fidan stated that Türkiye is “closely monitoring the situation together with Georgian authorities.”

Georgia’s air traffic authority, Sakaeronavigatsia, reported that the C-130 aircraft went down near the Georgia–Azerbaijan border and confirmed that a rescue team was immediately dispatched to the area. The agency said on Facebook that the plane disappeared from radar shortly after entering Georgian airspace, failing to transmit any signal before contact was lost.

The Georgian Interior Ministry announced that the incident is being investigated under the country’s criminal code related to violations of air transport safety regulations resulting in loss of life.

Following the crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called President Erdogan to express his condolences. "During the telephone conversation, it was noted that the relevant state institutions of Azerbaijan and Türkiye are in contact regarding the incident," said a statement from the Azerbaijani presidency.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz also held a phone call with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov to discuss the situation. On NSosyal, Yilmaz said that Asadov conveyed Azerbaijan’s “condolences and solidarity” and assured that his country was closely following developments.

Yilmaz thanked the Azerbaijani leadership for its “heartfelt condolences” and prayed for the personnel who lost their lives in the crash.

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