Investigators are investigating the plane crash in Turkey that killed Libyan military officials

Search teams in Turkey on Wednesday found cockpit voice and flight data records of a plane crash that killed eight people, including a military commander in western Libya, while efforts to recover the bodies of the victims continued, Turkey’s interior minister said.

A private plane carrying General Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officers and three staff members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from the Turkish capital, Ankara, killing all on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

A delegation of Libyan officials was on its way back to Tripoli after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at strengthening military cooperation between the two countries.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters at the crash site that debris was scattered over an area covering three square kilometers (more than one square kilometer), making recovery efforts difficult. Turkish medical authorities were working to recover and identify the remains, he said.

A team of 22 people – including five family members – arrived from Libya early Wednesday to help with the investigation, he said.

Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the casualties on Tuesday, describing the crash on Facebook as a “terrible accident” and a “huge loss” for Libya.

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held a phone call with Dbeibah, when he expressed his condolences and expressed his sadness over the death of these people, his office said.

Later, the Turkish leader also expressed his condolences while speaking on television, expressing solidarity with Libya.

“An investigation has been launched into this tragic incident that has caused us great grief, and our services will provide information about its progress,” said Erdogan.

Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a key role in the ongoing, UN-brokered efforts uniting the Libyan military, which is divided, like other national institutions.

The other four military officers who died in the accident were General Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, the head of the ground forces in Libya, Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, who led the military production authority, Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of staff, and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, military photographer and the office of the chief of staff.

The identities of the three employees were not immediately released.

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

The plane, however, disappeared from radar while descending to an emergency landing, the Turkish presidential press office said.

The Libyan government has declared a period of three days of national mourning. Flags will be flying at half-staff in all government agencies, according to a government announcement on Facebook.

The accident was found near the village of Kesikkavak, Haymana, a district 45 kilometers south of Ankara.

At the crash site, search and rescue teams intensified their operations on Wednesday after heavy rain and fog overnight, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Gendarmerie police cordoned off the area while Turkey’s disaster management agency, AFAD, set up a mobile communications center. Special vehicles, such as tracked ambulances, were deployed due to the muddy terrain.

Turkey has assigned four prosecutors to lead the investigation, and Yerlikaya said Turkey’s investigative teams include 408 employees.