Turkey holds funeral for 20 military personnel killed in Georgia plane crash

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey held a solemn funeral ceremony on Friday for 20 military personnel who were killed in a plane crash in Georgia.

The C-130 military cargo was flying from Ganja, Azerbaijan, to Turkey when it crashed in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border, on Tuesday. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The victims included crew members and military personnel responsible for the maintenance and repair of Turkish F-16 jets that had flown to Azerbaijan to participate in that country’s Victory Day celebrations. The event marked Azerbaijan’s 2020 military success over Armenia for control of the Karabakh region, known internationally as Nagorno-Karabakh, a conflict that had lasted nearly four decades.

Families, officials and fellow soldiers paid their respects in front of the 20 coffins, draped in the national flag, at an airbase in Ankara. The deceased were later taken to their hometowns for burials.

The military has temporarily grounded its 18 remaining C-130 military cargo planes as a precaution pending technical inspections.

C-130 planes are widely used by Turkey’s armed forces for transporting personnel and handling logistical operations.

Turkey immediately dispatched an accident investigation team to determine the cause of the crash. The plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice data recorder were under examination in Ankara, the National Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said there was no ammunition on board the aircraft when it crashed.