ALL 20 personnel aboard a Turkish military C-130 cargo plane perished when it crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, Turkey’s Defense Minister Yasar Guler announced on Wednesday.
The plane had departed from Ganja, Azerbaijan, and was returning to Türkiye when contact was lost a few minutes after it entered Georgian airspace.
Reuters cited today that, according to the Georgian aviation authority, the aircraft did not issue a distress signal before crashing in Sighnaghi municipality, near the Azerbaijani border.
“Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred on November 11, 2025, when our C-130 military cargo plane, which had taken off from Azerbaijan en route to our country, crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border,” Guler said in a message on X, sharing photographs of the deceased personnel.
A Turkish accident investigation team reached the site early on Wednesday and, in coordination with Georgian authorities, began examining the wreckage.
The debris was scattered across farmland and hills, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV.
C-130 military cargo planes are widely used by Türkiye’s armed forces for personnel transport and logistical operations.
Türkiye maintains close military ties with Azerbaijan, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had attended Azerbaijan’s Victory Day celebrations in Baku on November 8, marking the country’s 2020 military success in Nagorno-Karabakh.
It remains unclear if the personnel on the plane had participated in the event.
Condolences have been extended from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili.
“We are deeply shocked by the news of the loss of life of our soldiers in the accident that occurred on Georgian soil,” Aliyev said.
U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack also offered his sympathies, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte honoured the fallen personnel.
No information has yet been released regarding funeral arrangements or the repatriation of the remains. - November 12, 2025
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