President Erdogan Expresses Condolences to PM Dbeibah over the Crash of the Libyan Military Commander's Plane

JAKARTA - The Turkish President on Wednesday expressed condolences to the Prime Minister of Libya over a plane crash that killed the country's military leadership, according to the Head of Communications for the Presidential Palace in Ankara.

During a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "expressed his sorrow and condolences for the loss of life in the plane crash that carried the Libyan Military Commander General Mohammed Ali Al-Haddad and his staff," Burhanettin Duran said, launching Anadolu (24/12).

Turkish Minister of the Interior Ali Yerlikaya earlier said the wreckage of a Falcon 50 business jet, which took off from Esenboga Airport in the capital Ankara to Tripoli, was found by a gendarmerie team about 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) south of Kesikkavak in Haymana District, Ankara.

The black box and cockpit voice recorder of the jet were found on Wednesday morning, Yerlikaya said.

The process of examining these devices to determine the cause of the accident has begun, he added.

Eight people, including three crew members, were killed in the crash, according to Libyan and Turkish officials.

Those killed included the Libyan military commander General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad. The other four officers killed in the accident were General Al-Fitouri Gharibil, head of the Libyan ground forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, who heads the Military Manufacturing Authority; Muhammad Al-Asawi Diab, chief of staff advisor; and Muhammad Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, military photographer in the chief of staff's office.

Initially, the Libyan delegation was in Ankara for high-level defense talks aimed at increasing military cooperation between the two countries, according to Turkish officials.

Following the fatal accident, the Government of the National Unity of Libya declared three days of national mourning.

Libyan officials, meanwhile, said the jet was leased and registered in Malta, adding that its ownership and technical history would be examined as part of a joint Turkish investigation.