The Dassault Falcon 50 private jet carrying senior Libyan military officials crashed late on Tuesday southwest of the Turkish capital city of Ankara. The delegation were in Türkiye for talks earlier in the day.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed that the country’s ground services lost contact with the jet some 40 minutes after it took off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. Before communications ceased, the aircraft had requested an emergency landing.
The aircraft had five passengers on board, including Libyan Chief of Staff, General Muhammad Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, the minister stated.
In a follow-up statement, the minister said that emergency crews have located the debris of the aircraft, confirming the crash.
CCTV footage circulating online purports to show a massive blast lighting up skies above the Turkish capital and believed to be linked to the plane’s crash. It was not immediately clear whether the pictured explosion occurred mid-air or on the ground.
Tripoli has confirmed that their military chief and his colleagues have all been killed in the crash.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh said in a Facebook post that several other senior military officials were killed in the crash along with General Muhammad Ali Ahmed al-Haddad.
They include the Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces, Lieutenant General Al-Futuri Ghribil and the head of the Military Manufacturing Authority, Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Ghadiwi.
“This grievous loss is a great blow to the nation, to the military institution, and to all the Libyan people, as we have lost men who served their country with sincerity, dedication, discipline, responsibility, and national commitment,” the PM wrote.