ISTANBUL 

The bodies of 19 personnel have been recovered from the site of Tuesday's Turkish military cargo plane crash along the Georgia-Azerbaijan border, and search efforts are ongoing for the remaining victim, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Speaking at a Wednesday meeting of Justice and Development (AK) Party provincial heads in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said the plane’s black box has been recovered and investigations have begun.

“Ongoing work at the crash site is being closely monitored, and all necessary investigations will be done meticulously to clarify every aspect of the incident,” he added, noting that the nation can rest assured that, along with Türkiye, the full resources of Georgia and Azerbaijan have been mobilized for our heroes.

The president also noted that regular updates to the public on the plane crash from Türkiye’s National Defense Ministry and Communications Directorate will continue.

He urged the nation to be wary of misinformation about the crash and not to reward those “who stoop to dirty politics.”

Erdogan commemorated the fallen soldiers by reading their names and praying for them.

He said that following the crash, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan immediately contacted their counterparts and search and rescue operations were launched swiftly.

Ergodan noted that unmanned aerial vehicles were deployed in coordination with Georgian authorities to obtain visuals from the area.

He said the crash site was cordoned off for security reasons, and last night, “our 46-member crash investigation team was dispatched to the area.”

”Georgian authorities have been providing all necessary support and cooperation at the highest level, while our Azerbaijani brothers have also extended every form of assistance,” he added.

Erdogan extended condolences to the martyrs’ families, the Turkish Armed Forces, and the nation, and thanked friendly and brotherly countries that shared Türkiye’s grief.  

Martyrs to be transported to Türkiye

Türkiye’s Communication Director Burhanettin Duran said search and rescue, as well as crash investigation teams, continue their work on the plane crash.

“The remains of our beloved martyrs will be brought back to our country on our A-400M aircraft, which transported our search and rescue and accident investigation team to Georgia,” Duran wrote on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

He thanked Georgian authorities for their swift response and full support from the first moment, noting that they mobilized all resources for recovery efforts.

“Developments on the matter will continue to be shared with the public,” he added.