A private jet carrying the Libyan military chief crashed on Tuesday night, shortly after taking off from the Turkish capital Ankara. In this accident, all the people on board the plane, including Libya’s top military officer General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, died. According to Libyan officials, there was a technical fault in the plane, due to which this accident occurred.

Accident happened while returning from Turkey
Libyan officials said that the plane was returning from Ankara to Libya. Earlier, the Libyan delegation had gone to Turkey for high-level talks to increase defense cooperation between the two countries.

Plane wreckage found near Ankara
Turkish officials said that the wreckage of the Falcon-50 business jet was found near Kesikkavak village in Haymana district, about 70 kilometers from Ankara. However, the Turkish government had initially only confirmed the finding of debris.

Lost contact after take off
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that the plane had taken off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport at 8:30 pm. After about 40 minutes, air traffic control lost contact with the plane. Earlier, the plane had sent a signal for emergency landing near Haimana.

Prime Minister confirmed the death
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah issued a statement on Facebook confirming the death of General al-Haddad and other officers. Describing this accident as tragic, he said that it is a big loss for Libya. General al-Haddad was the highest military commander in western Libya. He was playing an important role in the efforts to unify Libya’s divided army under the mediation of the United Nations.

Other officers killed in the accident
General Al-Fituri Ghrabil (Army Chief), Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Katawi (Military Production Authority Chief), Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab (Adviser to the Chief of Staff) and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub (Military Photographer) also died in this plane crash. 7 people including 4 officers and 3 crew members died in this accident.

Libya will work with Turkey in investigation
The Libyan government said that it will send a team to Ankara to investigate the accident, which will investigate in collaboration with Turkish authorities. After the accident, relief and rescue teams and emergency vehicles were deployed on the spot.