Farewell ceremony held for 20 soldiers killed in C-130 crash

WISE NEWS PRESS / ANKARA, TÜRKİYE — November 14, 2025

A high-level military ceremony was held at Ankara Mürted Air Base Command for the 20 Turkish soldiers who were martyred in the crash of a C-130 military cargo aircraft near the Azerbaijan–Georgia border. The remains of the fallen soldiers were escorted with prayers and recitations from the Qur’an and sent to their hometowns for burial.

The incident, which deeply saddened the nation, occurred after radar contact was lost in Georgian airspace and the aircraft went down approximately 5 kilometers from the Azerbaijani border. The martyrs’ remains were transported from Tbilisi International Airport by an A400M military transport aircraft, landing at Mürted Air Base at 20:30 local time on Thursday.

Emotional scenes outside the Forensic Medicine Institute

Following their arrival, the martyrs’ remains were transferred under convoy to the Forensic Medicine Institute in Ankara’s Keçiören district. Hundreds of citizens carrying Turkish flags gathered to show support for the grieving families, waiting for hours outside the institute.

After forensic procedures were completed early in the morning, the remains were transported back to Mürted Air Base for a military ceremony held at 09:00.

State leadership attends the farewell ceremony

Senior state and military officials attended the ceremony, including:

• Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmuş

• Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş

• Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler

  
  

• Chief of General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu

• Service Commanders:

  • Navy Commander Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu

  • Air Force Commander Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu

  • Land Forces Commander Gen. Metin Tokel

Minister Güler personally offered condolences to each of the families.

Martyrs escorted to their final resting places

The farewell ceremony concluded with Qur’an recitation and prayers. The coffins of the 20 fallen soldiers were carried by honor guards and loaded onto military aircraft for transport to their home provinces, where funerals will be held.

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