Turkish military cargo plane with 20 on board crashes in Georgia near Azerbaijan border | Video

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A Turkish Air Force C-130 military cargo plane carrying 20 people crashed in Georgia on Tuesday near the border with Azerbaijan, Turkish and Georgian authorities said, as reported by the Associated Press (AP). Officials have not yet confirmed the number of casualties.

According to Turkey’s Defence Ministry, the C-130 had taken off from Azerbaijan and was returning to Turkey when it went down in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border. Search and rescue operations are underway in coordination with Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities, the ministry said in a statement.

Video footage aired on Turkish news channels appeared to show the aircraft spiralling down while trailing white smoke before impact.

Turkish military aircraft CRASHES on Georgia-Azerbaijan border — Turkish MoDUnverified footage from AirportHaber shows supposed Lockheed C-130 Hercules spiraling out of control before explosive crash'Search and rescue operations underway' pic.twitter.com/kDb3MPOKUn

— RT (@RT_com) November 11, 2025

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was “deeply saddened” by the crash and expressed condolences for those he referred to as “martyrs.” “God willing, we will overcome this accident with the least amount of setbacks possible,” Erdogan said.

The Turkish Defence Ministry confirmed that 20 military personnel, including crew members, were on board the aircraft. Georgian authorities said an investigation has been launched into the cause of the crash.

The C-130 Hercules, a widely used four-engine military transport aircraft, serves as a key part of Turkey’s armed forces for logistical and personnel transport operations.

Turkey and Azerbaijan share close defence ties, regularly conducting joint military exercises and training programs.