A Turkish C‑130 military cargo plane crashed in Georgia’s Sighnaghi district, just 5 km from the Azerbaijan border, on Tuesday.
The aircraft had taken off from Ganja, Azerbaijan, carrying at least 20 Turkish personnel—including the flight crew—according to Türkiye’s Defence Ministry.
Local media reported that Azerbaijani service members were also on board the U.S.-made aircraft, which was heading back to Turkey when it went down.
The crash generated a huge black‑smoke plume, captured in dramatic footage aired by Azerbaijani outlets.
Georgian air‑traffic control said the plane vanished from radar shortly after entering Georgian airspace without sending a distress signal.
Search‑and‑rescue teams, including Georgian officials and Turkish personnel, were on the scene; Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya noted that his Georgian counterpart, Gela Geladze, arrived around 5 p.m. local time.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his deep sorrow, calling the victims “martyrs.” Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev conveyed his shock and condolences, while U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack affirmed Washington’s solidarity with the Turkish allies.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.