Baku: The C-130 aircraft that took off from Azerbaijan yesterday crashed shortly afterward in Georgia’s Sighnaghi region, near the Azerbaijan-Georgia border, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said while addressing the incident, APA reports. Erdogan stated that 20 servicemen were martyred in the crash.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, immediately after the incident, Erdogan contacted the Ministers of Defense, Interior, and Foreign Affairs, and search and rescue operations were promptly launched. Erdogan noted that the area where the aircraft’s wreckage was found has been sealed off for security reasons.

The aircraft’s black box has been found, an investigation has begun, and the bodies of 19 servicemen have been recovered, the Turkish President emphasized. He added that during this time, he held phone conversations with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.