Turkish search teams on Wednesday recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from a jet crash that claimed the lives of eight people, including western Libya’s top military commander, as efforts to retrieve victims’ remains continued, Turkey’s Interior Minister said.
The private jet, carrying Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officials, and three crew members, crashed Tuesday after departing Ankara. Libyan authorities said a technical malfunction was believed to have caused the accident. The delegation had been returning to Tripoli following defense talks in Ankara aimed at strengthening military cooperation.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said wreckage was scattered across more than a square mile, complicating recovery operations. Turkish forensic teams are working to recover and identify the bodies. A 22-member Libyan delegation, including five family members, arrived Wednesday to assist in the investigation.
Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah called the crash a “tragic accident” and a “great loss” for Libya. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed condolences to Dbeibah in a phone call, vowing a thorough investigation.
Al-Haddad played a key role in U.N.-backed efforts to unify Libya’s divided military. Other military officials who died included Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, and military photographer Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub.
The Falcon 50 business jet lost contact about 40 minutes after takeoff, reporting an electrical fault and requesting an emergency landing. It disappeared from radar while descending toward Esenboga Airport.
Libya has declared three days of national mourning. Wreckage was found near Kesikkavak village, south of Ankara. Turkish authorities deployed 408 personnel for recovery, including specialized vehicles for the muddy terrain, and assigned four prosecutors to lead the investigation.
Turkey’s Transportation Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the black boxes would be sent to a neutral country for impartial examination. The crash comes amid ongoing efforts to stabilize Libya’s divided government and military, with Turkey playing a major role in western Libya and recent moves to engage the eastern administration.
Source: AP