Turkey and Azerbaijan have confirmed fatalities after a C-130 cargo plane crashed in Georgia on Tuesday. The Turkish military plane, carrying at least 20 people, including flight crew, was en route to Turkey from the Azerbaijani city of Ganja when it plummeted to the ground.
Details about the number of casualties are still scarce, but officials have indicated that there were fatalities. Turkish Defence Ministry officials stated that 20 Turkish personnel were on board the plane, although no information has been provided about potential passengers from other nationalities.
Azerbaijani personnel who were also traveling on the aircraft were reportedly among those killed in the accident. Dramatic footage published by Azerbaijani media shows the plane sending a large plume of smoke into the sky after it made impact.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirming that his Georgian counterpart arrived at the scene around 5 pm local time. The plane went down in the Sighnaghi area of the Kakheti region, just 3.1 miles from the Georgia-Azerbaijani border.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences to those who had lost their lives, stating that Turkey was "deeply saddened" by the news. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev described the incident as an "accident on Georgian soil".
The aircraft's disappearance from radar shortly after entering Georgia's airspace was a concern, but officials have so far revealed no information about whether it sent out any distress signals prior to the crash.
Details about the number of casualties are still scarce, but officials have indicated that there were fatalities. Turkish Defence Ministry officials stated that 20 Turkish personnel were on board the plane, although no information has been provided about potential passengers from other nationalities.
Azerbaijani personnel who were also traveling on the aircraft were reportedly among those killed in the accident. Dramatic footage published by Azerbaijani media shows the plane sending a large plume of smoke into the sky after it made impact.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirming that his Georgian counterpart arrived at the scene around 5 pm local time. The plane went down in the Sighnaghi area of the Kakheti region, just 3.1 miles from the Georgia-Azerbaijani border.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences to those who had lost their lives, stating that Turkey was "deeply saddened" by the news. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev described the incident as an "accident on Georgian soil".
The aircraft's disappearance from radar shortly after entering Georgia's airspace was a concern, but officials have so far revealed no information about whether it sent out any distress signals prior to the crash.
anyway, what's up with this C-130 plane crashing? it's so sad they lost a bunch of people... i wonder if the pilots were okay. ugh, I just remembered I need to order my monthly subscription box, have you tried any good ones lately?
what's going on with these military planes? they're always on high alert and suddenly they just...boom! 20 people could've been from so many different countries, you'd think there'd be more info about the passengers but i guess that's not the case atm 
. it's always tough when these kinds of accidents happen and everyone's on edge waiting for news. hope the search & rescue efforts wrap up soon 
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Erdogan's condolences are all well and good, but what about the underlying issues that led to this accident? Was it a case of poor air traffic control, or was there something more sinister at play? 
. It's time for us to dig deeper into the geopolitics behind this incident, and hold those in power accountable for their actions 
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that's just terrible news... always sad when planes go down like this... thinkin' about all those lives lost 
, can't believe this just happened in 2025 and we still don't have better plane tracking systems... I mean, 20 people just gone, and all we know is they lost contact with radar for like 2 mins? Where's the warning system to alert nearby airports or authorities? 
This plane crash in Georgia is a harsh reminder of how fragile life can be and how quickly things can go from one end of the spectrum to the other. The loss of lives on both sides of the border is devastating, and it's heartbreaking that we're seeing such tragic news again. We can only hope that those involved are safe and receive the support they need during this difficult time 
i hope the search and rescue efforts are going well and that everyone who was on board is accounted for 
but it's hard not to think about the what-ifs, like did anyone get a chance to grab their stuff or say goodbye to loved ones before the plane went down? so much uncertainty and unanswered questions 
the fact that we don't know if they sent out any distress signals is really weird too... did they just get lost or something? 
. accident on Georgian soil is a phrase that hits close to home, hope that both Turkish and Azerbaijani governments can provide some support and answers to what went wrong 
I mean, I know accidents happen but this one feels so preventable... the fact that there were no distress signals sent out beforehand is just a huge red flag 
I'm seriously trying to wrap my head around this one... 
... hope everyone involved gets the help they need 
OMG, this is so tragic! 
. The incident has a 2/3 chance of being survivable if all passengers could evacuate before the crash 
. I'm thinking about the Turkish and Azerbaijani teams, they must be going through an extremely tough time right now