Turkey announces the death of 20 soldiers due to a military cargo plane in Georgia.
Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special
Arab Sea_Reports: The Turkish Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that 20 soldiers were killed in the crash of a military cargo plane in Georgia on Tuesday, as investigators continue to work to determine the cause of the crash. The C-130 aircraft took off from Azerbaijan and was heading to Turkey, but crashed in Georgia on Tuesday. Ankara has not yet provided a reason for the deadliest military accident in terms of fatalities since 2020. It said that Turkish and Georgian authorities began surveying the crash site in the Sighnaghi municipality of the Kakheti region of Georgia at 0330 GMT on Wednesday. An initial video from the scene showed twisted pieces of metal scattered on a grassy hill, while footage circulating on social media, which could not be verified, showed the plane breaking apart in the air before crashing to the ground in flames. The Turkish Ministry of Defense issued a list on Wednesday of the names of the twenty soldiers who died in the accident. The leaders of Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, offered their condolences. US Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Brraq expressed his country's solidarity with Turkey after the accident. Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler spoke on Tuesday with his Georgian and Azerbaijani counterparts, as well as the Azerbaijani Chief of Staff, to discuss search and rescue operations. The American company Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the C-130 Hercules aircraft, which is widely used by air forces around the world, expressed its condolences and affirmed its commitment to assisting Turkey in any way during the investigation. The C-130 Hercules is designed to transport goods, troops, and equipment, and is classified as a military transport aircraft with four turboprop engines, capable of taking off and landing from unprepared runways. Thanks to its versatile structure, it can also be operated for other purposes, including as a combat aircraft or in air assault and reconnaissance operations. Today, it is one of the most prominent tactical air transport aircraft used by many armies.
