A private jet carrying Libya’s military chief, four other officers and three crew members crashed shortly after taking off from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, on Tuesday, killing all seven people on board. Libyan officials said the aircraft went down due to a technical malfunction. The Libyan delegation had been in Ankara for high-level defence talks focused on strengthening military cooperation between Libya and Turkey, according to Turkish officials.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the death of Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad in a Facebook statement, calling the crash a “tragic accident” and a “great loss” for the country. Officials in Libya said contact with the aircraft was lost around half an hour into the flight due to a technical malfunction. The four other officers killed were Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of Libya’s ground forces, Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, who led the military manufacturing authority, Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of staff, and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer in the chief of staff’s office. The identities of the three crew members were not immediately known.
Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the plane took off from the Ankara Airport at 8:10 pm (local time) on Tuesday, and radio contact was lost at 8:52 pm. He said authorities found the plane’s wreckage near the Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district.Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation into the crash was underway. Additionally, the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity said that the Libyan PM has directed the defence minister to send an official delegation to Ankara to follow up on proceedings.
Several Turkish media outlets broadcast images showing the sky lit up by an explosion not far from the location where the aircraft sent a signal. Walid Ellafi, Libyan minister of state for communication and political affairs, told local media that the Turkish government informed his government of the incident.Meanwhile, the Libyan government announced official mourning across the country for three days in light of the tragedy. Following the crash, Ankara’s airport was temporarily closed, and several flights were diverted, according to private broadcaster NTV. Turkey’s Justice Ministry announced that four prosecutors have been appointed to investigate the incident, a standard procedure in aviation accidents.