20 soldiers aboard Turkish military plane that crashed in Georgia

A Turkish military transport aircraft that crashed on Georgian territory had 20 soldiers on board, according to Azerbaijani media reports citing Turkey’s Ministry of National Defence.

“The crashed aircraft was carrying 20 people, including crew members. Search and rescue operations are ongoing”, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said the Turkish military plane went down in the Sighnaghi municipality, in the country’s eastern Kakheti region, about five kilometers from the Georgian border. The aircraft was flying from Azerbaijan to Turkey.

Georgia’s air navigation agency, Sakaeronavigatsia, reported that the Turkish C-130 aircraft disappeared from radar a few minutes after entering Georgian airspace, without transmitting any distress signal. Search and rescue efforts were immediately launched.