Turkey’s President Erdogan ‘Deeply Saddened’ After Military Plane Crash In Georgia; 20 Feared Dead

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

ANKARA/TBILISI/BAKU (Worthy News) – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was “deeply saddened” after a Turkish military cargo plane carrying 20 personnel crashed Tuesday in Georgia, near the border with Azerbaijan, and officials feared there were no survivors.

Erdogan offered condolences for what he called the “martyrs” who perished, saying: “God willing, we will overcome this accident with the least amount of setbacks possible.” His remarks came after the Turkish Defense Ministry confirmed that the C-130 Hercules transport plane had taken off from Azerbaijan and lost contact shortly after entering Georgian airspace.

A video broadcast on Turkish media appeared to show the aircraft spiraling down and trailing white smoke before crashing in Sighnaghi municipality, part of Georgia’s Kakheti region. The area, known for its vineyards and small villages, lies on the southern slopes of the Gombori mountain range near the Azerbaijani border, with hilly terrain that made rescue efforts difficult.

The Georgian Interior Ministry said radar contact was lost shortly after the plane crossed the border and that no distress signal was issued. Search-and-rescue teams reached the wreckage around 5 p.m. local time. There were no reports of casualties on the ground, but authorities said they feared all on board were killed.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said an unmanned aerial vehicle and a military investigation team were deployed to assist Georgian authorities. A full probe into the cause of the crash is underway, and officials said it was not immediately clear.

CONDOLENCES FROM ALLIES

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili extended condolences to Ankara. “We are deeply shocked by the loss of life of our soldiers in the accident that occurred on Georgian soil,” Aliyev said in a message cited by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.

The tragedy highlighted the close military cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan, both Muslim-majority nations that just days earlier celebrated Azerbaijan’s Victory Day in Baku. Erdogan and senior Turkish officials attended the November 8 festivities marking Azerbaijan’s 2020 victory over Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

That armed conflict displaced tens of thousands, including many ethnic Armenian Christians, and left deep scars across the Caucasus. Tuesday’s crash served as a sobering reminder of the human cost and volatility that continue to define the region.

The C-130 Hercules, a U.S.-built aircraft widely used for logistics and humanitarian missions, has a long record of reliability but has been involved in several deadly accidents worldwide. Tuesday’s disaster is among the worst Turkish military air incidents in recent years, according to defense analysts.

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