A NATO military plane belonging to Turkey spiralled out of control before crashing on the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan today.
Local media shared video purporting to show the aircraft splitting in two mid-air before its burning wreckage plummets to the ground and erupts in a huge cloud of smoke.
Turkey’s defense ministry said on X that the C-130 plane had taken off from Azerbaijan and was on its way back to Turkey.
It was not clear how many crew were on board the aircraft.
The ministry said a search and rescue were underway in coordination with Georgian authorities, but did not provide any other details on the cause of the crash or the casualties.
The crash was in the Rustavi region of Georgia, according to the Turkish media. This is about 100 miles from the Russian border.
The plane appeared to break up in the sky – with debris also seen falling to the ground.
Later parts of the C-130 were seen strewn on the ground.
There was a major explosion where the aircraft came down in Georgia.
Russian pro-war Militarist channel wrote: ‘It appears the Turkish C-130 broke apart in mid-air, likely due to an internal explosion.’
However, there was no immediate evidence of the cause of the crash.
A criminal investigation was opened in Georgia.
‘The Ministry of Internal Affairs will provide the public with detailed information about the incident in stages,’ said a government statement.
Initial reports said a helicopter was lost but later it was reported to be a C-130, one of the world’s most widely used and longest-serving military transport aircraft.
The Turkish ministry of national defence said: ‘A C130 cargo plane taking off from Azerbaijan to our country crashed in Georgia.
‘Search and rescue efforts have been initiated in coordination with Georgian authorities.’
The area is close to the Georgian-Azerbaijani border.
‘Details regarding the plane’s departure point, the number of personnel it was carrying and its route remain unclear at this time,’ said one report.
Turkey recently reached agreement to buy a dozen second-hand C-130J military transport aircraft from the United Kingdom, said reports.
Turkey and Azerbaijan maintain close military cooperation.
Video footage, reportedly showing the crash, aired on Turkey’s private NTV and other outlets, depicting the aircraft spiraling as it descended and leaving a trail of white smoke.
