20 people were on board the aircraft
The Turkish Defense Ministry initially did not provide the number of people on board or information about possible casualties, but later said that 20 people, including the flight crew, were on board the crashed aircraft.
What Georgia says
A statement from the Georgian Interior Ministry confirmed that the plane crashed about five kilometers from the border with Azerbaijan. Georgian authorities noted that an investigation into the causes of the accident has been launched.
At the same time, they reported that contact with the C-130 was lost a few minutes after it entered Georgian airspace, while no distress signal was sent before the crash.
Condolences from Erdogan
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at an event in Ankara, confirmed the crash and said that search efforts at the wreckage are underway.
Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan:
"Today we learned that our C130 type military aircraft that came to our country from Azerbaijan was dropped on the Gürcistan-Azerbaijan border.
Enkaza ulaşma works in coordination with the country's authorities...
— TC İletişim Başkanlığı (@iletisim) November 11, 2025
"We were informed with deep sadness that our C-130 military aircraft, coming from Azerbaijan, crashed on the Georgia-Azerbaijan border," he said.
Our efforts to reach the wreckage continue in coordination with the competent authorities, he added, and sent condolences to the witnesses who were on board the transport.
