A Turkish NATO C-130 military transport plane crashed on Tuesday near the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan after reportedly losing control in the air. Local media shared videos showing the aircraft spiraling before it disintegrated and exploded upon hitting the ground. Turkey’s Ministry of National Defence reported that the plane had taken off from Azerbaijan and was headed to Turkey at the time of the incident. The number of people on board is still unconfirmed. Search and rescue teams from Turkey and Georgia have been sent to the crash site, which is located about five kilometers from the Azerbaijan-Georgia border. Georgia’s Interior Ministry has announced a criminal investigation to determine what caused the accident. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan extended his condolences to the families of the victims, calling those on board “our martyrs” and expressing hope for minimal casualties. Footage from the crash site showed significant debris spread throughout the area. While some initial reports suggested that an internal explosion might have caused the aircraft to break apart, officials have not yet confirmed this. In an official statement, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said: “A NATO C-130 cargo plane that took off from Azerbaijan to our country has crashed in Georgia.” Search and rescue efforts are currently being carried out in collaboration with Georgian officials. Turkey and Azerbaijan have a strong collaboration in defense and security, often holding joint military exercises. Video footage of the crash aired on Turkey’s NTV and other local outlets displayed the plane emitting white smoke while it descended in a spiral.
