The bodies of 19 personnel have been recovered from the site of Tuesday's Turkish military cargo plane crash along the Georgia-Azerbaijan border, and search efforts are ongoing for the remaining victim, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Speaking at a Wednesday meeting of Justice and Development (AK) Party provincial heads in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said the plane’s black box has been recovered and investigations have begun.

“Ongoing work at the crash site is being closely monitored, and all necessary investigations will be done meticulously to clarify every aspect of the incident,” he added.

The president also noted that regular updates to the public on the plane crash from Türkiye’s National Defense Ministry and Communications Directorate will continue.

He urged the nation to be wary of misinformation about the crash and not to reward those “who stoop to dirty politics.”

A Turkish C-130 military cargo plane with 20 military personnel on board crashed Tuesday after taking off from Azerbaijan en route to Türkiye. (ANADOLU AGENCY)