Turkey’s Ministry of Protection confirmed that 20 troopers had been killed on Tuesday when a army cargo aircraft crashed in neighboring Georgia on its method again from Azerbaijan.
Georgian Inside Minister Gela Geladze mentioned 18 our bodies had been discovered on the crash web site of the Turkish C-130 aircraft, including that the search continued for 2 extra our bodies, in accordance with the Reuters information company.
Communication with the aircraft was misplaced 27 minutes into its flight to Turkey, in accordance with media shops within the nation.
Video posted on-line and aired by Turkish media confirmed the tail of the aircraft breaking off from the fuselage within the air as the massive aircraft spun uncontrolled and plunged towards the earth. One other clip shared by the Reuters information company confirmed particles scattered throughout farmland in Georgia.
Irakli Gedenidze/REUTERS
The Turkish Ministry of Protection revealed photographs of the 20 servicemen killed within the crash on social media on Tuesday, with the message: “We burry you in our hearts.”
The ministry mentioned Turkish officers had been coordinating with Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities, and {that a} Turkish crash investigation crew was additionally on the bottom on the scene of the catastrophe.
The reason for the aircraft crash will likely be decided after an in depth examination of the wreckage by the Turkish crew, the ministry mentioned.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barack posted a message of condolence on social media, saying he was “deeply saddened by at present’s tragic crash of a Turkish Armed Forces plane,” and voicing solidarity with “our Turkish allies.”
NATO Secretary Common Mark Rutte additionally provided his sympathy to the Turkey, which is a member of the transatlantic protection alliance, saying: “We honor their service and are deeply grateful for all that the Turkish Armed Forces – and certainly all our women and men in uniform throughout the Alliance – do to maintain us protected day-after-day.”
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany, Russia and others additionally despatched condolences and expressed solidarity with Turkey after the crash.
The C-130 “Hercules” is a army transport plane designed and constructed by the American firm Lockheed Martin.
Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported that the C-130 aircraft that crashed had been in service for 57 years. Turkey bought the plane from Saudi Arabia in 2010, after it was retired from service there, and added it to its personal fleet, the newspaper mentioned.
The households of the troopers had been knowledgeable by authorities in individual throughout Turkey and the nation’s nationwide Anadolu information company shared photos of a number of the troopers’ houses draped in Turkish flags.
