Turkish Military Cargo Plane Crash in Georgia Claims 20 Lives
The Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed on Wednesday that all twenty soldiers aboard a Turkish military cargo plane, a C-130 model, died when the aircraft crashed in eastern Georgia on Tuesday. The plane was returning to Turkey from Azerbaijan at the time of the incident.
Authorities have released the names and photographs of the deceased soldiers, but the specific reasons behind the crash have yet to be disclosed.
The cargo plane had departed from Ganja, a city in western Azerbaijan, and went down shortly after entering Georgian airspace on Tuesday afternoon. A video circulating on social media captured the aircraft spiraling down, trailing white smoke before impact.
This incident is not isolated, as Turkey has experienced several similar crashes in recent years. In June 2024, a military training aircraft, an SF.260, crashed, resulting in fatalities, and in December of that year, six soldiers died in a military helicopter crash.
The tragedy underscores the ongoing hazards faced by the Turkish military during flight operations and raises concerns regarding the safety, maintenance, and preventive measures associated with military aircraft.
