Turkish C-130 Crashes Near Georgia–Azerbaijan Border After Takeoff

Overview

• Turkey’s defense ministry said 20 people were on board and identified passengers as Turkish and Azerbaijani nationals.
• Search-and-rescue operations are under way in coordination with Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities near the border region.
• No official death or survivor count has been released, and casualty figures remain unconfirmed.
• President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the accident and offered condolences, calling the victims martyrs.
• Preliminary investigations have begun, with Georgia’s aviation authority reporting a loss of contact after the plane entered its airspace without an emergency signal, and video showing the C-130 breaking apart during the fall.