Addressing an event of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued condolences to Libya over a plane crash in Ankara on Tuesday that claimed the lives of top Libyan military officials.
“The necessary investigation is underway for this sorrowful incident,” Erdoğan said.
President Erdoğan earlier held a phone call with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah to express condolences.
A private jet carrying Libyan Chief of General Staff Gen. Mohammed al-Haddad and four other people crashed after takeoff from Ankara. The jet lost all radio contact after issuing an emergency landing alert near the Haymana district south of Ankara, Turkish officials said.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that the wreckage of a Falcon 50-type business jet, which took off from the Esenboğa Airport en route to Tripoli, was found by gendarmerie teams about 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) south of Kesikkavak village in Haymana. Al-Haddad and others were on an official visit to Ankara on Tuesday, where they met National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler.
Security forces located the wreckage overnight despite heavy rain and fog. Operations accelerated at daybreak, with gendarmerie units securing the area and preventing civilian access.
Fuat Oktay, chair of the Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, also issued a message of condolence for al-Haddad and other victims. "May Allah bless their souls. I extend my condolences to their sorrowful families and the state of Libya. We share the sorrow of the Libyan people. As we have always done, we stand with Libya on this tragic day," Oktay said in a social media post.
