A Turkish C-130 military cargo plane carrying at least 20 Turkish personnel crashed in eastern Georgia on Tuesday shortly after departing from Azerbaijan.
The aircraft went down in the Sighnaghi municipality of the Kakheti region, approximately 5 kilometers from the Azerbaijani border.
Turkey's Defence Ministry confirmed 20 Turkish personnel, including flight crew, were on board but provided no details on other nationalities.
Local media reports indicated Azerbaijani personnel may also have been aboard the U.S.-made aircraft.
The cause of the crash remains unknown, with no distress signal sent before the plane disappeared from radar.
Initial footage from the scene showed twisted metal debris scattered across a grassy area, with parts of the fuselage in flames and black smoke rising.
Search and rescue operations began after Georgia's Interior Minister Gela Geladze reached the wreckage around 5 p.m. local time.
Turkish and Georgian authorities are coordinating efforts to access the remote site in a region of floodplain forests and hills.
Georgia's Interior Ministry is investigating the incident under a criminal code article related to air transport and loss of life.
The plane had taken off from Ganja in Azerbaijan and was en route back to Turkey.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan interrupted a speech in Ankara to offer condolences for "our martyrs."
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev discussed the "tragic news of the loss of servicemen" during a call with Erdogan.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack expressed deep sadness and extended condolences to the families.
Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the C-130 Hercules, offered support for the investigation.
The versatile aircraft serves as a key tactical airlifter for many militaries worldwide.