Overview
- The aircraft departed Ganja, Azerbaijan, and vanished from radar minutes after entering Georgian airspace without a distress signal, according to Gruznavia and flight-tracking data.
- Turkey’s Defense Ministry said 20 Turkish military personnel were on board the C-130.
- Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry reported fatalities, though an official death toll has not been released.
- Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing with coordination among Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, as the countries’ foreign ministers held calls and condolences and support offers were issued, including from Russia.
- Georgian authorities identified the crash site in Sighnaghi about five kilometers from the Azerbaijan border and opened a case over alleged air-safety violations, while the cause and full passenger list remain unconfirmed.