ISTANBUL

The necessary investigation has been launched into the tragic incident involving an aircraft carrying a Libyan military delegation, “which deeply saddened us,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Justice and Development (AK) Party’s extended provincial heads meeting in Ankara, Erdogan extended condolences to the “brotherly Libyan people,” armed forces, and the government on behalf of Türkiye and the nation after the death of Libyan army chief Gen. Mohamed Ali Al-Haddad, along with four members of his delegation and three crew members in Tuesday's plane crash.

The relevant ministries will provide information regarding the course of events, he added.

The Falcon 50-type business jet crashed after taking off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport en route to Tripoli, the Libyan capital.

The plane was found about 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) south of Kesikkavak village in the Turkish capital Ankara’s Haymana district.

Search operations continued through the night despite heavy rain and fog, and officials are monitoring efforts from a mobile coordination center set up by Türkiye's disaster management agency AFAD.