Turkish army aircraft with 20 aboard catches hearth mid-air, crashes in Georgia – watch

Turkish army aircraft crashes in Georgia (X)

A Turkish army cargo aircraft with 20 folks on board crashed in Georgia close to the Azerbaijani border on Tuesday, authorities from all three nations confirmed, however gave no instant variety of casualties, reported AP.Turkey's defence ministry mentioned the C-130 plane had taken off from Azerbaijan and was returning to Turkey when it went down in Georgia's Sighnaghi municipality. The ministry mentioned it was not instantly clear what number of crew members have been on board, in keeping with Euro Information.Video footage aired by native media appeared to indicate the aircraft spiralling down with a path of white smoke earlier than crashing. A search and rescue operation has been launched in coordination with Azerbaijani and Georgian authorities.Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan mentioned he was “deeply saddened” by the incident and expressed condolences to the households of these killed. Whereas confirming there have been casualties, Erdoğan didn't present additional particulars.Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev additionally prolonged condolences to his Turkish counterpart, saying: “We have been deeply saddened by the tragic information of the lack of servicemen within the crash of a Turkish Air Drive army cargo aircraft, which took off from Ganja and crashed in Georgian territory. On this second of sorrow, I share your grief and, on behalf of myself and the folks of Azerbaijan, prolong heartfelt condolences to you, the households and family members of the deceased, and the fraternal folks of Türkiye.”The Georgian inside ministry mentioned the crash occurred close to the city of Sighnaghi, near the Azerbaijani border, and that an investigation has been opened to find out the trigger.The C-130E Hercules, a four-engine turboprop tactical airlifter, is extensively utilized by the Turkish armed forces for personnel transport and logistical operations.