Turkish military plane crashes near Azerbaijan-Georgia border, killing all 20 on board

A Turkish Air Force C-130 transport aircraft crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border, killing all 20 people on board, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

Defense Minister Yasar Güler held phone talks with his Azerbaijani and Georgian counterparts, as well as Azerbaijan’s chief of general staff. Turkish broadcaster A Haber named three of the victims — Ilhan Ongan, Nuri Ozcan and Gokhan Kormaz.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the wreckage was found in Georgia’s Signaghi municipality, about five kilometers from the Azerbaijani border. Weather conditions were clear at the time of the crash.

At President Ilham Aliyev’s instruction, Azerbaijan offered assistance to Georgia in the rescue operation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke separately with Aliyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

Turkey deployed rescue teams and an Akıncı TİHA drone to the crash site. The defense ministry said an investigation has been launched into the cause of the crash.