Istanbul [Turkey], December 25: Turkish authorities have recovered cockpit voice and flight data recorders after a private jet crashed near Ankara, killing Libya's top military commander, the Turkish interior minister said on Wednesday.
An investigation is under way to "fully clarify" the cause of the crash, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters in Ankara.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh said on Tuesday that Libyan Chief of General Staff Mohammed Al-Haddad, alongside his four companions, were killed in the incident. Three crew members also lost their lives, according to the Turkish Interior Ministry.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone call with Dbeibah, during which he conveyed his condolences and expressed his sorrow over the deaths, his office said.
"An investigation has been launched into this tragic incident that has deeply saddened us, and our ministries will provide information about its progress," Erdogan said.
The Falcon 50 business jet reported a technical problem after taking off from Ankara for Tripoli late Tuesday, Yerlikaya said.
The aircraft lost contact shortly afterwards and crashed near the district of Haymana, south of the capital.
Debris from the crash was scattered across some 3 square kilometres, he said.
The minister said the cockpit voice recorder was found at 2:45 am on Wednesday (2345 GMT Tuesday) and the flight data recorder was recovered briefly afterwards.
More than 400 personnel and over 100 air and ground assets, including drones, are involved in recovery and forensic efforts, he said.
Turkey's Transportation Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the cockpit voice and flight data recorders would be sent to a neutral third country for examination, in order to ensure impartial findings on the cause of the crash.
A Libyan team arrived in Ankara to assist with the probe, Yerlikaya added.
Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, UN-brokered efforts to unify Libya's military, which has split, much like the nation's other institutions.
The other military officials who died in the crash were Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, the head of Libya's ground forces, Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, who led the military manufacturing authority, Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of staff, and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer with the chief of staff's office.
The identities of the three crew members weren't immediately released.
The Libyan delegation was returning from a meeting in Ankara on Tuesday with Turkiye's defence minister and army chief. Ankara is a key supporter of the government in Tripoli.
The Libyan government declared a three-day national mourning with flags flown half-staff at all state institutions, according to an announcement on Facebook.
Libya was ravaged by civil war for many years after the fall of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Today, the North African country, where militias and foreign states continue to struggle for power and resources, is effectively divided.
The Dbeibeh government is based in the west, while the rival government of Prime Minister Osama Hammad, supported by renegade General Khalifa Haftar and Russia, is based in the east.
Source: Qatar Tribune
