Twenty soldiers were killed when a Turkish military cargo jet crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, according to images that went viral on social media. Investigators are still working to figure out what caused the tragedy. The C-130 went down in Georgia after taking off from Azerbaijan for Turkey.
"Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred on November 11, 2025, when our C-130 military cargo plane, which had taken off from Azerbaijan en-route to our country, crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border," stated the Turkish defense minister in a message shared on X.
Shortly after taking off from Azerbaijan, visuals showed the plane disintegrating as it crashed to the ground. The crash claimed the lives of all twenty passengers, including the aircraft crew.

Although witnesses' footage showed the airplane turning sideways in the air and debris descending beside it, Turkey has not yet revealed the reason of the crash.
A plane disaster in Turkey
According to broadcaster Haberturk, a Turkish investigative team arrived at the crash site early on Wednesday and started looking at the wreckage, which was dispersed across a wide region.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, expressed his "deep sadness" over the tragedy and sent his condolences to the "martyrs." "God willing, we will overcome this accident with the least amount of setbacks possible," he declared.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of Georgia and Azerbaijan also offered their condolences. After the crash, Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, offered his nation's assistance.

Turkey has not yet disclosed the cause of the disaster, despite witnesses' film showing the aircraft tilting sideways in the air and debris falling next to it.
An aircraft accident in Turkey
A Turkish investigating team arrived at the crash site early on Wednesday and began examining the wreckage, which was scattered over a large area, according to broadcaster Haberturk.
Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, conveyed his "deep sadness" at the tragedy and offered his condolences to the "martyrs." "God willing, we will overcome this accident with the least amount of setbacks possible," he said.