Turkey on Wednesday, November 12, confirmed the deaths of all 20 people aboard its military cargo plane that crashed in eastern Georgia while returning from Azerbaijan.
According to the Turkish Defence Ministry, the aircraft, a C-130 Hercules, had taken off from Ganja Airport in western Azerbaijan on Tuesday afternoon and crashed shortly after crossing into Georgian airspace.
“Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred on 11 November 2025 due to the crash of our C-130 military cargo aircraft, which had taken off from Azerbaijan to return to Turkey,” Defence Minister Yasar Guler said in a statement on his 𝕏 account.
Guler also shared photographs of the victims, honouring their service to the nation.
Georgia’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the plane went down in the Sighnaghi area, approximately five kilometres from the Azerbaijani border.
Naija News reports that in a separate statement, Georgian air traffic control said the aircraft disappeared from radar screens shortly after entering the country’s airspace “without transmitting a distress signal.”
Emergency services later alerted authorities to the crash site, where no survivors were found.
Though the cause of the crash remains unknown, dramatic videos shared by Azerbaijani media appeared to show the aircraft spinning uncontrollably with debris breaking off as it descended.
The footage, reportedly taken by locals, captured the plane engulfed in flames before crashing into an open field.
Turkey has not yet provided details on what led to the accident, but an investigation is underway in coordination with Georgian authorities.
The ill-fated aircraft was a C-130 Hercules, a US-manufactured military cargo plane produced by Lockheed Martin. The model is widely used by armed forces across the world for transport, humanitarian missions, and disaster response operations.
The Turkish Armed Forces have long operated several C-130 units as part of their military logistics fleet.
Turkey Declares Mourning for Fallen Officers
The Turkish government has expressed deep sorrow over the loss, with Defence Minister Guler pledging full support to the families of the deceased.
Flags are expected to fly at half-mast at military bases and government buildings as Turkey mourns the tragedy.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
