Bodies of soldiers killed in Turkish military plane crash to be repatriated today

The bodies of the soldiers who died in the Turkish military cargo plane crash will be repatriated to Turkey today.

The Turkish Ministry of Defence said a specialised team was investigating the cause of the crash and efforts were ongoing to determine the results “as quickly as possible”. The body expressed gratitude to the authorities of Georgia and Azerbaijan for their swift response and mobilisation of all resources during the search and rescue operation following the crash.

The Ministry also denied reports that the plane was carrying military equipment.

“Our aircraft was transporting personnel and equipment for aircraft technical support. No combat materials were on board”, the Ministry said.

The crash occurred on Tuesday in the eastern Sighnaghi Municipality of Georgia, about five kilometers from the Georgian border near the Georgia-Azerbaijan frontier. The Turkish military plane was en route from Azerbaijan to Turkey. All 20 military personnel on board were killed and their bodies have been recovered.