A Turkish military cargo plane carrying at least 20 people has crashed near the Azerbaijan-Georgia border, Turkey’s defence ministry has said.

Officials have not confirmed the number of casualties, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier offered his condolences to “our martyrs”.

Search and rescue efforts have begun at the scene. The number on board included flight crew, officials said.

The defence ministry said the C-130 cargo plane had been travelling from Azerbaijan to Turkey.

Images from the scene show emergency services on site and what appears to be wreckage from the plane.

According to BBC Turkish, Georgia’s aviation authority said the aircraft disappeared from radar without issuing a distress signal.

Georgia’s interior ministry said the plane crashed near Sighnaghi, around 5km (3 miles) from Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said in a message to Erdogan he was “deeply saddened by the tragic news of the loss of servicemen”, and extended condolences to him and the people of Turkey.

The US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, said on X he was “deeply saddened” by the crash.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the fallen, the Turkish Armed Forces, and the people of Türkiye,” he added.

The C-130 is a US-made transport plane used by air forces around the world.