ISTANBUL, December 23. /TASS/. Five people were on board the Falcon 50 aircraft, contact with which was lost after takeoff from Ankara airport, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced.

"This evening at 8:10 p.m. local time [5:10 p.m. GMT], a Falcon 50 aircraft with tail number 9H-DFJ took off from Esenboga Airport in Ankara, heading to Tripoli. There were five people on board, including the Libyan Army Chief of Staff, Muhammad al-Haddad. At 8:52 p.m. [5:52 p.m. GMT], contact with the aircraft was lost. A distress message regarding an emergency landing in the Haymana area was received from the aircraft crew, and subsequently, contact could not be restored," the minister wrote on his X social media page.

The NTV channel earlier reported the crash with the preliminary reason cited as a technical malfunction.