Türkiye yesterday said 20 of its soldiers were killed when a military transport plane crashed in Georgia, with all but one of the bodies recovered, marking the Nato member’s deadliest military incident since 2020.
The C-130 cargo aircraft left Azerbaijan for Türkiye and crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, leaving chunks of twisted metal strewn across a grassy knoll.
Ankara has not provided a reason for the crash, but said Turkish and Georgian authorities had started investigations at the site.
In a live speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “Our plane’s black box has been found, and inspections have begun. We have recovered the remains of 19 of our martyrs. Our search for the remains of the last martyr continues.”
Footage from the site near the border with Azerbaijan showed ambulances, firetrucks and army vehicles in the area around the burned fuselage, with search-and-rescue teams scanning the grounds.
Ankara said it was closely co-ordinating with Azerbaijan and Georgia on the probe.
US defence firm Lockheed Martin, which makes the C-130 Hercules, said it was committed to helping the investigation.
The C-130 Hercules, which is used widely by air forces around the world, is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft capable of operating from unprepared runways.
Unverified social media videos on Tuesday showed the plane breaking apart in the air and then corkscrewing towards the earth in a blaze.
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