Turkish president: 19 of 20 bodies already recovered from plane crash site

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said the bodies of 19 deceased military personnel have been recovered, and the search for the last one continues.

He called on the nation to be vigilant in the face of dirty propaganda related to the military transport aircraft that crashed in Georgia on November 11, Anadolu Agency reports.

"Operations at the crash site are under our constant control. A thorough investigation will be conducted to fully clarify all circumstances of the incident. The Ministry of National Defence and the Directorate of Communications under the Presidential Administration regularly inform the public and will continue to do so. I ask our people to remain vigilant in the face of falsehoods and not give room to those who resort to dirty politics," he added.

The flight recorder of the crashed aircraft has already been found, the president said.

On November 11, 2025, a Turkish C-130 military transport aircraft crashed in Georgia while flying from Azerbaijan to Türkiye. The plane was carrying 20 members of the Turkish Armed Forces, including technical service personnel. All on board the aircraft were killed.

The crash occurred in mountainous terrain near Georgia's Signagi town. Prior to departure, the aircraft had spent approximately two hours at Ganja airport in Azerbaijan, with no recorded technical issues. Following the crash, search and recovery teams from both Türkiye and Georgia were dispatched to the site, recovering wreckage and investigating the incident. 

The cause of the crash is yet to be determined, with investigators examining possible technical faults, weather conditions, or other contributing factors. 

By Khagan Isayev