20 killed in Turkish military plane crash in Georgia

Darwin, 13 November–

A Turkish military cargo plane has crashed in Georgia, killing all 20 people on board. The aircraft was returning from Azerbaijan when the accident occurred, Turkish authorities said on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the plane took off on Tuesday afternoon from Ganja Airport in western Azerbaijan. It crashed shortly after crossing into eastern Georgia.

News agency AFP reported the incident from Istanbul.

The ministry stated that there were 20 people on board, including the aircraft’s crew.

Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler shared 20 photos of the victims on his social media account X, writing:

“Our heroic comrades were martyred in the crash of our C-130 military cargo aircraft, which was flying from Azerbaijan to Turkey on November 11, 2025.”

No official information has yet been released about the cause of the crash or the exact number of people on board.

While the reason remains unclear, dramatic footage published by Azerbaijani media and eyewitnesses showed the plane circling several times before crashing.

Georgia’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the aircraft went down near Sighnaghi, about five kilometers from the Azerbaijani border.

The Georgian air traffic control agency said the plane “disappeared from radar shortly after entering Georgian airspace without sending any distress signal,” prompting emergency services to respond.

The C-130 Hercules military cargo plane is manufactured by the U.S. company Lockheed Martin.