Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the launch of extensive investigations into the crash of a private plane near Ankara, which was carrying the Government of National Unity Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Haddad, who died along with four of his companions.

Erdogan added in a press conference broadcast by Turkey's TRT channel on Wednesday that the relevant Turkish institutions will disclose all information related to the incident as soon as it is available.

Speaking about the victims, the Turkish president said, “We ask God to have mercy on them and grant them His mercy,” offering his condolences to “the people of Libya, the Libyan armed forces, and their personnel.”

The crew requested an emergency landing before the crash

Contact was lost with the plane minutes after it took off from Esenboga Airport in Ankara bound for Tripoli on Tuesday. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the plane reported an emergency landing in the Haymana area (near Ankara) before contact was lost.

The head of the Turkish Presidency's Communications Directorate, Burhanettin Duran, also announced that the plane requested an emergency landing due to an electrical malfunction before it crashed on Tuesday.