Delhi: A Turkish Air Force C‑130 Hercules cargo plane reportedly crashed in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality near the Azerbaijan border on Tuesday, minutes after taking off from Ganja airbase in Azerbaijan.
The Turkish Defence Ministry said the aircraft, which was returning to Turkey, went down around 5 km inside Georgian territory.
All 20 Turkish military personnel on board are accounted for, though casualty figures remain unconfirmed as search‑and‑rescue teams work with Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities at the mountainous crash site.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan interrupted a speech in Ankara to express condolences, calling the victims “martyrs.” Georgian officials opened an investigation under aviation‑related criminal provisions. The C‑130 is a staple of Turkey’s logistics fleet, and both nations have close defence ties. Flights over the region have been suspended pending probe results.
🚨🇹🇷 Watch as the Turkish C – 130 Cargo plain crashes near the boarder of Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 pic.twitter.com/w8H56Lhd5F
— Svilen Georgiev (@siscostwo) November 11, 2025
