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A Turkish military transport plane crashed in a mountainous region of Georgia on Tuesday, with officials confirming no survivors among the 20 people on board. The aircraft, identified as an Airbus A400M, was on a scheduled flight from Türkiye to the neighboring country of Azerbaijan when it disappeared from radar screens, leading to an immediate international response.
Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, announced the tragedy, stating the plane went down in Georgia's southern Ninotsminda region, an area known for its challenging terrain near the borders with both Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to Georgian aviation authorities, the flight crew did not report any malfunctions or issue a distress call prior to the crash, suggesting the event was sudden and catastrophic. The plane crashed in the mountainous Ninotsminda region of Georgia, which posed significant initial challenges for emergency response teams accessing the site.
Search and rescue operations were immediately launched by Georgian authorities, who managed to reach the remote crash site after several hours. The wreckage was located, and officials soon confirmed the grim news, with multiple outlets confirming all 20 people aboard were killed in the incident. In a crucial step for the investigation, the plane's black boxes—containing both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder—have been recovered from the debris field. These devices are essential for investigators seeking to piece together the final moments of the flight.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement expressing his profound sadness and offering condolences to the families of the military personnel who lost their lives. In line with international protocols, a delegation of Turkish aviation experts has been sent to Georgia to participate in the inquiry. According to Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency, a joint Turkish-Georgian commission will analyze the wreckage and flight recorders to determine the definitive cause of the crash. The A400M is a modern, four-engine turboprop aircraft designed for transporting troops and cargo over long distances, and the incident will prompt a thorough review of safety and operational procedures.
