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Turkish, Azeri leaders report casualties, offer

condolences

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C-130 cargo plane had left Azerbaijan bound for Turkey

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Authorities give no detail on cause of crash nor death

toll

By Tuvan Gumrukcu

ANKARA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - A Turkish C-130 military

cargo plane with at least 20 personnel on board crashed in

Georgia after taking off from Azerbaijan on Tuesday, as

authorities reported an unspecified number of casualties and

said rescue workers were headed to the site.

President Tayyip Erdogan interrupted a speech in Ankara to

offer condolences for "our martyrs" - a term he regularly uses

to describe not only combat deaths but also service personnel

killed in the course of their general duties.

Erdogan, his office and the ministry did not say what

caused the crash, and they did not provide the number of

casualties. Local media said, without citing numbers, that there

were both Turkish and Azeri personnel on board.

After a call with Erdogan, Azerbaijan's President Ilham

Aliyev said, according to an official readout, that he had

discussed "the tragic news of the loss of servicemen" in the

crash, which happened near Georgia's border with Azerbaijan.

Turkey's Defence Ministry said 20 Turkish personnel were on

board, including the flight crew, but provided no additional

details on possible passengers of other nationalities.

Turkey and Georgia said they were working to reach the site.

Erdogan was handed a note by his aides as he was finishing a

speech in Ankara.

"God willing, we will overcome this crash with minimum

hardships. May God rest the soul of our martyrs, and let us be

with them through our prayers," he said.

Georgia's Interpress news agency said the plane had crashed in

Sighnaghi, a municipality in the Kakheti region in eastern

Georgia, bordering Azerbaijan. It said the incident was being

investigated.

U.S. firm Lockheed Martin ( LMT ), which makes the C-130

Hercules that is widely used by air forces around the world, did

not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The C-130 Hercules is a cargo, troop and equipment carrier

aircraft. It is described as a four-engine, turboprop military

transport aircraft that can make use of unprepared runways for

takeoffs and landings.

Its versatile airframe has enabled it to be used for other

purposes as well, including as a gunship and for airborne

assault and reconnaissance operations. It is now viewed as one

of the main tactical airlifters for many militaries.