Ceremony held for 20 Turkish soldiers killed in Georgia plane crash
ANKARA
The bodies of 20 Turkish soldiers killed in a military cargo plane crash near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border arrived at the ceremony site, where a memorial service was held.
Forensic procedures on the remains were completed at the Ankara Forensic Medicine Institution before they were transported to Mürted Air Base.Following the military ceremony at the base, the bodies of three soldiers will be laid to rest in Ankara after funeral prayers, while the remaining 17 will be buried in their hometowns.
The remains were repatriated to Türkiye aboard an A400M military transport aircraft after forensic examinations in Tbilisi, according to defense sources.
The C-130 aircraft crashed on Nov. 11 in Georgia’s Kakheti region, in a mountainous area near the Signagi municipality, about five kilometers from the Azerbaijani border.
The cause remains under investigation.
"Our work is continuing so that the results can be obtained as soon as possible," the Defense Ministry stated.
The plane had transported spare parts for six F-16 fighter jets and maintenance crews for Azerbaijan's Victory Day ceremonies.
On the return flight, it carried about six tons of supplies, including spare parts, but no ammunition or explosives, the ministry said.
Wreckage is scattered across a wide plain surrounded by hills and will be transferred to Kayseri for detailed analysis.
Initial assessments suggest the tail broke off first, with no signs of external interference on the fuselage, according to daily Milliyet.
The flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been sent to Ankara for examination.
Footage indicates the plane may have broken apart midair before exploding on impact, though officials have not confirmed this.
Georgia’s aviation authority reported lost contact shortly after entering airspace, with no distress signal.
Speculation on sabotage, air-defense involvement or external factors has arisen, but no evidence supports these claims.
Other possibilities, like mechanical failure or pilot error, are under review.
The ministry noted the C-130 was purchased from Saudi Arabia in 2012, entered service in 2014 after modernization and had its last maintenance from Sept. 11 to Oct. 12, 2025..
All C-130 flights in Türkiye remain suspended since Nov. 12 pending inspections.
Condolences have poured in from across Türkiye and abroad.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili extended sympathies to their Turkish counterparts.
Turkish Cyprus, Italy, Romania, Kosovo, Iran, Qatar, Egypt and Kuwait were among nations expressing solidarity. Other countries, including Japan, France, Russia, the Netherlands, Greece, Germany and Ukraine, conveyed sorrow through diplomatic missions in Ankara.
