Libya declares national mourning following plane crash in Ankara

Following the crash of a Falcon 50 business jet carrying 5 people, including Libyan Chief of General Staff Mohammed Ali Al-Haddad, near Ankara while returning to their country, the Libyan administration has taken a notable step.

In a statement issued by the Libyan Government of National Unity, it was announced that a 3-day national mourning period has been declared in the country due to the accident in which 5 military personnel lost their lives, stating, "During this period, flags will be flown at half-mast at all state institutions, and all official events and celebrations will be suspended."

Emphasizing that the soldiers who lost their lives in the accident served Libya selflessly, the statement included the following: "We extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of the deceased and their colleagues in the armed forces; we pray to Almighty Allah to treat them with His vast mercy, welcome them into His paradise, and grant patience and fortitude to their remaining families and loved ones."

It was reported that Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh instructed the Ministry of Defense to send an official delegation to Ankara and to investigate the circumstances of the accident in direct coordination with Turkish authorities.

5 PEOPLE HAD LOST THEIR LIVES

A plane carrying a 5-member Libyan military delegation, which had set off for their country after completing an official visit to Turkey, had disappeared from radar near Ankara. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh had announced that the plane had crashed and that Chief of General Staff Mohammed Ali Al-Haddad, along with Land Forces Commander Lieutenant General Al-Fayturi Gharib, Head of the Libyan Military Industry Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatiwi, Chief of General Staff Advisor Mohamed Al-Asawi Diab, and Chief of General Staff Photographer Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub had lost their lives in the accident.

IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT AN EMERGENCY LANDING NOTIFICATION WAS MADE

Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya, in his statement regarding the accident, had said, "Contact was lost at 20:52 with the Falcon 50 type business jet with tail number 9H-DFJ, which took off from Ankara Esenboğa Airport at 20:10 this evening to go to Tripoli. An emergency landing notification was received from the aircraft in question near Haymana; however, no further contact could be established with the plane afterward."

News Source: İHA