Turkiye and Libya intensify probe into deadly plane crash near Ankara

As forensic investigations and the preparations for the repatriation of the bodies are being conducted, Libyan and Turkiye officials have increased coordination over the investigation into a plane crash near Ankara, which resulted in the deaths of Libya’s army chief and seven other people.

Major General Mahmoud Ashour, the head of Libya’s Criminal Investigation Department, led a delegation to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday as part of the joint inquiry.

Following discussions with the case’s Turkish prosecutor, the visit was made.

Shortly after departing from Ankara Esenboga Airport on Tuesday, a private jet carrying Libya’s army chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, reported an electrical problem.

The aircraft, which was heading for Tripoli, requested an emergency landing 16 minutes after takeoff, according to Burhanettin Duran, Turkiye’s head of communications.

The Dassault Falcon 50 was redirected back to the airport in Ankara by air traffic controllers, but as the aircraft sank, radar contact disappeared.

In the Haymana district of Ankara, the wreckage was discovered close to the village of Kesikkavak. Three members of the crew were among the eight killed.

After Turkiye’s Ministry of Interior launched emergency operations, search and rescue teams arrived at the scene as multiple authorities joined the crash investigation.

Funeral services were sped up

Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina reported from Misrata, Libya, claiming that although the timeline is uncertain, Al-Haddad’s body was still being recovered.

The minister of communications informed us that the funeral prayer will be observed tomorrow. That is beginning to change as government officials call in saying it could be delayed until Saturday, according to Traina on Thursday.

The recovery process, according to Traina, took longer because there were more remains scattered throughout the area and DNA testing was required.

There is a lot of pressure on,” he said. We’ll have to wait and see whether or not that will occur.