A Turkish military cargo plane crashed in Georgia on its way from Azerbaijan to return home, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
The accident happened on the Georgian-Azerbaijani border, it said, adding that the aircraft hit was a C-130 military aircraft.
“Our C-130 military cargo plane, which took off from Azerbaijan to return home, crashed on the Georgian-Azerbaijani border,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that it is coordinating with Georgian authorities to travel to the crash site.
Search and rescue operations are taking place in coordination with the authorities in both countries, she added.
Visuals of the plane crash circulating on social media show the Herculean plane in free fall as plumes of smoke rise from it as it crashes. The plane fell in a mountainous area.
A flight tracking website showed the plane departed from Ganja but lost signal over Georgina territory.
Turkish plane crash: death toll
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that there were casualties due to the plane crash, but did not specify the number.
Erdogan said he was “deeply saddened” by the accident and offered condolences to the “martyrs”.
“God willing, we will overcome this crash with minimal difficulties. May God rest the souls of our martyrs and may we 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 event.
Where did the Turkish plane crash happen?
The crash of the Turkish cargo plane took place in the Georgian village of Sighnaghi, which is located about 5 kilometers from the Azerbaijani border, the Ministry of the Interior said in a Facebook post.
An investigation into the incident is underway, he added.
Erdogan, his office, and the ministry have not said what caused the crash, nor have they given a death toll. Local media reported that both Turkish and Azerbaijani personnel were on board, without giving numbers.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said he spoke by phone with his Georgian counterpart, adding that the Georgian minister was en route to the crash site.
C-130 military cargo aircraft are widely used by the Turkish Armed Forces for personnel transport and handling logistics operations.
Built by Lockheed Martin, the C-130 Hercules can carry up to 42,000 pounds (19,000 kilograms) of cargo, including helicopters and personnel, according to the US Air Force website.
