Tragedy As 20 Die In Turkish C-130 Cargo Plane Crash

Christogonus Iheanyi November 12, 2025 0

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Turkey’s Defence Ministry has confirmed that all 20 people aboard its military cargo plane were killed when the aircraft crashed in eastern Georgia while returning from Azerbaijan.

The incident involved a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft that took off from Ganja Airport in western Azerbaijan on Tuesday afternoon but went down shortly after crossing into Georgian airspace.

In a statement posted on his 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) account, Defence Minister Yasar Guler expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, describing the victims as “heroic comrades-in-arms.”

“Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred on 11 November 2025 due to the crash of our C-130 military cargo aircraft, which had taken off from Azerbaijan to return to Turkey,” Guler wrote.

He also shared photographs of the fallen personnel, paying tribute to their service and sacrifice.

Crash Site and Investigation

Georgia’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the plane went down in the Sighnaghi area, roughly five kilometres from the Azerbaijani border.
According to Georgian air traffic control, the aircraft disappeared from radar screens soon after entering the country’s airspace “without transmitting a distress signal.”

Emergency services located the wreckage in a remote field, where no survivors were found.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

Dramatic footage shared by Azerbaijani media appeared to show the plane spinning out of control before crashing in flames. Witnesses said debris was seen breaking off mid-air before impact.

Authorities in both Turkey and Georgia have launched a joint investigation into the disaster.

National Mourning and Response

The Turkish government has declared a period of mourning for the fallen officers, with flags ordered to fly at half-mast at military installations and government buildings nationwide.

Defence Minister Guler pledged full support for the families of the victims and announced that memorial arrangements would be coordinated through the Armed Forces Headquarters.

The C-130 Hercules, built by Lockheed Martin, is one of the world’s most widely used military cargo aircraft, employed for troop transport, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief missions.
Turkey operates several of the aircraft as part of its military logistics fleet.

Safety Review Expected

The tragedy has sparked renewed debate within Turkey about the safety of ageing military aircraft, with analysts calling for a comprehensive review of aviation maintenance and fleet modernisation policies.

While investigations continue, Ankara has urged the public to await official findings before speculating on the cause of the accident.