“May God rest the soul of our martyrs, and let us be with them through our prayers.”
Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s President, said he had discussed with Erdogan “the tragic news of the loss of servicemen” in the crash, which happened near Georgia’s border with Azerbaijan, which is near Turkey’s northeastern corner.
Turkish authorities have not yet said what caused the crash.
Turkey’s fleet of C-130 aircraft, however, is ageing, and the Government has been seeking a solution to retrofit and upgrade its planes.
A deal, too, was recently signed to purchase 12 C-130 aircraft that had been retired by Britain’s Royal Air Force.
The C-130, which used the call sign TUAF543, departed Ganja International Airport in Azerbaijan, passing the Georgian border at around 15,000 feet in altitude. It continuously ascended until it reached its cruising altitude of 24,000 feet, according to FlightRadar24, a real-time flight tracking website.
The last signal received by Flightradar24 was about 30 minutes after take-off.
Georgia’s Interpress news agency said the plane had crashed in Sighnaghi, a municipality in the Kakheti region in eastern Georgia, on the border with Azerbaijan.
Local media reports said that Turkish and Azeri personnel were on board the plane.
Lockheed Martin, the US defence contractor that makes the C-130, a popular military transport aircraft used by many international service forces, expressed its condolences to those affected by the crash.
A spokesman said: “We are committed to supporting our customers in any way as they investigate.”
The C-130 plane has many uses and can transport service personnel as well as food and medical aid.
