ISTANBUL 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday discussed the latest developments in the search and rescue efforts after a Turkish military cargo plane crashed in Georgia.

During the phone call, Kobakhidze offered his condolences over the death of soldiers in the crash, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

For his part, Erdogan expressed gratitude to Kobakhidze for his condolences and support, the directorate added.

Earlier in the day, a Turkish C-130 military cargo aircraft en route from Azerbaijan crashed in Georgia.

According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the aircraft was carrying 20 people, including the flight crew, and search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

The ministry later announced that "Georgian search and rescue teams reached the wreckage of the plane at 5 pm," adding that the wreckage has been secured for examination by Türkiye's crash investigation team.