A Turkish Air Force C-130 military cargo plane crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border on Tuesday, killing all 20 personnel on board, the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) confirmed in a statement.

The aircraft reportedly went down shortly after taking off from an airbase in Azerbaijan. Emergency response teams, including search and rescue units from both Turkey and Azerbaijan, rushed to the site but found no survivors.

In a statement issued on its official social media accounts, the MSB expressed deep sorrow over the loss and released the names and ranks of all 20 servicemen who perished in the crash. The victims included experienced pilots, officers, and technical crew members.

Among the fallen were:

• Lt. Col. Gokhan Korkmaz,
• Maj. Serdar Uslu,
• Maj. Nihat Ilgen,
• 1st Lt. Cuneyt Kandemir,
• 1st Lt. Emre Mercan,
• Sgt. Maj. Nuri Ozcan,
• Sgt. Maj. Umit Ince,
• Sgt. Maj. Hamdi Armagan Kaplan,
• Sgt. Maj. Burak Ozkan,
• Sgt. Maj. Ilker Aykut,
• Sgt. Maj. Akın Karakus,
• Sgt. Maj. Emrah Kuran,
• Sgt. Maj. Ramazan Yagiz,
• Staff Sgt. Emre Altiok,
• Staff Sgt. Berkay Karaca,
• Staff Sgt. Burak Ibbigi,
• Staff Sgt. Ilhan Ongan,
• Sgt. 1st Class Ahmet Yasir Kuyucu,
• Specialist Sgt. Cem Dolapci, and Specialist Sgt. Emre Sayin.

The identities and ranks were verified and released to honor the fallen personnel and provide transparency to the public.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with preliminary reports indicating that the aircraft went down shortly after departing from Azerbaijan. Rescue teams and military investigators have been dispatched to the crash site.

This incident marks one of the deadliest accidents for the Turkish Air Force in recent years and has prompted official condolences from government officials, military leaders, and international partners.(ILKHA)