It has become known that there were 20 soldiers on board, as previously reported by the Anadolu news agency. The plane, which took off from Azerbaijan, was heading to Turkey.
According to Turkey's Minister of National Defense, Yasar Guler, "our brave soldiers died as a result of the crash of the military C-130 aircraft." He expressed condolences to the families of the deceased on behalf of himself and the Ministry of Defense.
In connection with the incident, the Turkish Ministry of Defense requested assistance from the authorities of Azerbaijan and Georgia for rescue operations. According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the plane crash occurred in the municipality of Signagi, 5 kilometers from the border. Currently, law enforcement agencies have initiated a criminal case regarding the violation of air transport safety regulations that led to the loss of life.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a phone call in which they discussed the tragedy. Azerbaijan's Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov also sent his condolences to Guler.
