The plane signaled an emergency landing near the Haymana district south of Ankara before losing contact
On Tuesday, Turkish air traffic controllers lost contact with a private plane carrying the Libyan chief of general staff and four other people. The plane was heading from Turkey to the capital of Libya. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya also confirmed the news of the NTV television station about the loss of contact with this plane. TASR informs about it according to AP, AFP and Reuters reports.
The Turkish authorities, who found the wreckage, did not report the fate of the crew. Libya’s prime minister said General Muhammad Haddad had died.
“Contact was lost at 20:52 local time (18:52 CET) with a private Falcon 50 aircraft with the registration 9H-DFJ, which departed from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport for Tripoli at 20:10 local time (18:10 CET),” the interior minister said on X Network. According to him, there were five passengers on board, including General Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad.
Yerlikaya clarified that the plane signaled an emergency landing near the Haymana district south of Ankara before losing contact. Reuters notes that while officials have not confirmed a plane crash, Turkish media released footage of what appeared to be an explosion over Haymana.
The Libyan general was in Turkey for meetings with local officials.
The airport in the capital was closed and several flights were diverted, NTV reported. Libya did not immediately comment on the situation.
