T
urkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday that a comprehensive investigation has been launched into the plane crash in Türkiye that killed Libya’s army chief and several members of his delegation.
Speaking at the Justice and Development (AK) Party’s extended provincial heads meeting in Ankara, Erdoğan said the incident “deeply saddened us” and extended condolences on behalf of Türkiye to the “brotherly Libyan people,” the Libyan armed forces and the government.
The Libyan Chief of the General Staff, General Mohamed Ali Al-Haddad, and four members of his delegation, as well as three crew members, died when a Falcon 50 business jet crashed shortly after taking off from Ankara.
Erdoğan said relevant Turkish ministries would provide further information as the investigation progresses.
The aircraft was located about 2 kilometers south of Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district. Search and rescue operations continued overnight despite heavy rain and dense fog, with efforts coordinated from a mobile command center established by Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered early Wednesday, and the examination process has begun to determine the cause of the crash. He added that debris from the aircraft is spread across an area of approximately 3 square kilometers.
More than 400 personnel, supported by 103 ground vehicles and seven aircraft, are working at the site.
A Libyan military delegation arrived in Ankara on Wednesday to inspect the crash scene, while a separate 22-member delegation — including relatives of the victims and officials from Libya’s Defense and Interior ministries — also traveled to the Turkish capital.
Authorities said findings from the investigation will be shared with the public once the analysis is complete.
(Source: Anadolu Agency)
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