Turkish defence ministry has confirmed deaths of 20 soldiers as its C-130 Hercules aircraft crashed in Georgia on Tuesday.

 

The C-130 Hercules is a cargo, troop and equipment carrier aircraft. It is described as a four-engine, turboprop military transport aircraft that can make use of unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings.

 

Its versatile airframe has enabled it to be used for other purposes as well, including as a gunship and for airborne assault and reconnaissance operations. It is now viewed as one of the main tactical airlifters for many militaries.

 

According to Reuters, the military plane had taken off from Azerbaijan for Turkey, crashing in the Sighnaghu municipality of Georgia's Kakheti district.

 

Ankara has not yet provided a reason for its deadliest military incident since 2020 but said that Turkish and Georgian authorities are inspecting the site.

 

Initial footage from the scene showed chunks of twisted metal strewn across a grassy knoll while unverified footage on social media showed the plane breaking apart mid-air, corckscrewing towards the ground in a blaze.

 

The leaders of Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, have all conveyed condolences. Tom Barrack, the United States (US) Ambassador to Turkey, has also expressed his country’s solidarity with Turkey after the crash.

 

Earlier, Turkish Defence Minster Yasar Guler spoke to his Georgian and Azerbaijani counterparts, as well as Azerbaijan's chief of staff, to discuss search and rescue operations.

 

US firm Lockheed Martin, which makes the C-130 that is widely used by air forces around the world, expressed its condolences and said it was committed to helping Turkey in any way during the investigation.