nato Military Plane Crashes in georgia, Triggering Large Explosion
Sighnaghi, Georgia – A Turkish military C-130 Hercules cargo plane crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, resulting in a large explosion and a plume of black smoke visible from the impact site. The aircraft went down approximately 5km from the Georgia-Azerbaijan border, near the municipality of Sighnaghi in the Kakheti region.
Search and rescue teams, led by Turkey‘s defense ministry, are working to reach the crash site. The cause of the incident remains unclear, and the number of casualties is currently unknown.
According to the Georgian air navigation service, the plane “disappeared from radar without transmitting a distress signal” just minutes after entering Georgian airspace.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was informed of the crash during a speech in Ankara and offered his condolences for “our martyrs,” referring to the personnel on board. “God willing, we will overcome this crash with minimum hardships,” he said. “May God rest the soul of our martyrs, and let us be with them through our prayers.”
Initial reports suggest both Turkish and Azeri personnel were on board,though specific numbers have not been released.Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to President Erdogan and the families of those lost in a phone call, discussing “the tragic news of the loss of servicemen.”
The aircraft was returning to Turkey at the time of the crash, confirmed by Turkey’s defence ministry. Authorities are investigating the incident under a criminal code article covering air transport and loss of life.
The C-130 Hercules, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is a widely used four-engine, turboprop military transport aircraft capable of operating from unprepared runways. Lockheed martin stated it is “committed” to supporting the investigation. FlightRadar24 data identified the aircraft’s call sign as TUAF543.
Turkey recently agreed to purchase twelve second-hand C-130J military transport aircraft from the UK last month.
