ANKARA – On Wednesday, search crews successfully located the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from the aircraft that fatally crashed, claiming the lives of Libya’s military leader and other top officials. Meanwhile, the recovery of the victims’ remains is still ongoing, according to Turkey’s interior minister.

The private aircraft, which was transporting Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad along with four senior officers and three crew members, met with disaster shortly after departing from Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, resulting in no survivors. Libyan authorities have attributed the crash to a technical issue with the plane.

The Libyan delegation, which consisted of high-ranking officials, was returning to Tripoli following defense discussions in Ankara aimed at strengthening military ties between Turkey and Libya.

Speaking at the crash site, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that debris was scattered over an extensive area of three square kilometers (approximately 1.2 square miles), posing challenges to the recovery operation. He noted that Turkish forensic experts were actively working on recovering and identifying the remains of the victims.

A 22-member delegation, which included five family members of the victims, arrived from Libya early on Wednesday to aid in the investigation, Yerlikaya added.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the tragic event on Tuesday via Facebook, referring to it as a “tragic accident” and a profound “great loss” for Libya.

Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, U.N.-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s military, which has split, much like Libya’s other institutions.

The four other officers 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, advisor 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 were not immediately released.

Turkish officials said the Falcon 50 type business jet took off from Ankara’s Esenboga airport at 8:30 p.m. and that contact was lost some 40 minutes later. The plane notified air traffic control of an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing. The aircraft was redirected back to Esenboga, where preparations for its landing began.

The plane, however, disappeared from the radar while descending for the emergency landing, the Turkish presidential communications office said.

The Libyan government declared a three-day period of national mourning. Flags would be flown half-mast at all state institutions, according to the government’s announcement on Facebook.

The wreckage was found near the village of Kesikkavak, in Haymana, a district some 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) south of Ankara.

At the crash site, search and recovery teams intensified their operations on Wednesday after a night of heavy rain and fog, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Gendarmerie police sealed off the area while the Turkish disaster management agency, AFAD, set up a mobile coordination center. Specialized vehicles, such as tracked ambulances, were deployed because of the muddy terrain.

Turkey has assigned four prosecutors to lead the investigation and Yerlikaya said the Turkish search and recovery teams numbered 408 personnel.

While in Ankara, al-Haddad had met with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and other officials.

Libya plunged into chaos after the country’s 2011 uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The country split, with rival administrations in the east and west, backed by an array of rogue militias and foreign governments.

Turkey has been allied with Libya’s government in the west, but has recently taken steps to improve ties with the eastern-based government as well.

Tuesday’s visit by the Libyan delegation came a day after Turkey’s parliament approved to extend the mandate of Turkish troops serving in Libya for two years. Turkey deployed troops following a 2019 security and military cooperation agreement that was reached between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government.

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Abuelgasim reported from Cairo. Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed.