Turkey lost contact with a business jet carrying Libya’s chief of staff after an emergency signal near Ankara; an explosion was reported in the area.
ANKARA: Turkish authorities lost contact with a private jet carrying Libya’s chief of general staff on Tuesday evening.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated contact was lost with the Falcon 50 business jet at 8:52 pm local time.
The aircraft, tail number 9H-DFJ, had departed Ankara’s Esenboga Airport for Tripoli at 8:10 pm with five people onboard.
Yerlikaya confirmed the passengers included Libyan General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad.
The jet issued an emergency landing notification near Haymana, approximately 74 kilometres from Ankara.
Contact could not be re-established after the emergency signal.
“Authorities are monitoring the situation,” the interior minister added.
Several Turkish media outlets broadcast images showing the sky lit up by an explosion near the aircraft’s last known location.
Turkey maintains close ties with the UN-backed government in Tripoli, providing it with economic and military support.
