A Turkish military plane that crashed in Georgia on November 11, killed 20 soldiers, affirmed the country’s defense ministry on Wednesday, as emergency crew continued to sift through the plane’s wreckage for clues on what caused the C-130 aircraft to go down.
The plane had taken off from Azerbaijan for Turkey when it crashed in Georgia, marking the deadliest military incident for Ankara since 2020.
Unverified reports suggest the plane broke apart mid-air and then plummeted to the earth in a blaze. Initial footage of the debris showed chunks of twisted metal strewn across a large field.
While the Turkish Defense Ministry released a list of the 20 soldiers killed in the crash, condolences poured in from leaders of Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as the NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, and Tom Barrack, US Ambassador to Turkey.
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Turkey joined the NATO in 1952, and has the second-largest army in the alliance.
The C-130 Hercules, which is used widely by air forces around the world, is made by US firm, Lockheed Martin. It is a cargo, troop, and equipment-carrier four-engine aircraft that can land on unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings.
Its versatile airframe has made it popular over the years to be used as a gunship and for airborne assault, as well as reconnaissance operations.
Lockheed Martin also expressed its condolences, and said it was committed to helping Turkey in any way during the investigation.
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