Turkish NATO C-130 aircraft crashes near Georgia-Azerbaijan border

A Turkish NATO C-130 military transport aircraft crashed on Tuesday near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border after reportedly losing control mid-air.

Videos circulating on local media showed the plane spiraling before breaking apart and exploding into a massive fireball upon impact.

According to Turkey’s Ministry of National Defence, the aircraft had departed from Azerbaijan and was en route to Turkey when the incident occurred.

The number of personnel on board has yet to be confirmed.

Search and rescue teams from both Turkey and Georgia have been deployed to the crash site, located roughly five kilometres from Georgia’s border with Azerbaijan.

Georgia’s Interior Ministry confirmed the launch of a criminal investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences to the victims’ families, referring to those on board as “our martyrs” and expressing hope that the number of casualties would be minimal.

Footage from the crash scene revealed extensive debris scattered across the area.

While some early reports speculated that an internal explosion may have caused the aircraft to break apart mid-flight, officials have yet to verify the claim.

In an official statement, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said: “A NATO C-130 cargo plane that took off from Azerbaijan to our country has crashed in Georgia. Search and rescue operations are ongoing in coordination with Georgian authorities.”

Turkey and Azerbaijan maintain close defence and security cooperation, frequently conducting joint military drills. Video clips of the crash broadcast on Turkey’s NTV and other local media showed the aircraft trailing white smoke as it spiraled downward.