TRIPOLI, Libya

Libya declared three days of national mourning Tuesday following the deaths of Army Chief of Staff Mohammed al-Haddad and four senior military officials in a plane crash near the Turkish capital Ankara.

In a statement, Libya's Government of National Unity extended its condolences to the families of the victims and to their colleagues in the Libyan Armed Forces.

The statement said that during the three-day mourning period, all state institutions will fly flags at half-mast, and official ceremonies and celebrations would be suspended.

“The Government of National Unity extends its sincerest condolences and deepest sympathy to the families of the deceased and to their colleagues in the armed forces, praying that Almighty God bestows His vast mercy upon them, grants them eternal rest in His spacious gardens, and blesses their families and loved ones with patience and solace,” the statement said.

Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh has instructed the Defense Ministry to send an official delegation to Ankara to coordinate directly with Turkish authorities and review the circumstances of the crash, the statement added.

The tragedy coincides with Libya’s planned Independence Day celebrations on Dec. 24-25, marking 74 years since the country’s liberation from Italian occupation, which will now be observed under national mourning.

The head of Libya’s Presidency Council, Mohamed Menfi, also mourned the deaths of Haddad and the four senior military officials.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya earlier said that the wreckage of the Tripoli-bound Falcon 50 jet carrying Haddad was found south of Haymana near Ankara.