Turkish officials temporarily closed down airspace over its capital of Ankara on Tuesday night after a business jet that carried Libya’s top military commander crashed near the city after he concluded an official visit to the country. 

The plane carrying Chief of the General Staff of Libya’s armed forces Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad and four others lost contact roughly 30 minutes after departing Esenboga International Airport, according to Fox News. The plane had transmitted an emergency landing notification near Haymana before it lost contact.

Turkish authorities closed Ankara’s airspace as a precaution after it lost contact with the plane and diverted multiple commercial flights away from Esenboga Airport. Al-Haddad's death was later confirmed by Turkish and Libyan officials.

The decision to close the airspace elevated the incident beyond a routine aviation accident, Fox News reported, because closing the airspace around a capital city is usually reserved for situations involving unresolved security risks.

The crash also occurred after Al-Haddad met with Turkish defense officials, including Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler, to discuss ongoing military and security coordination between Turkey and Libya, Turkish media reported.

Other people killed in the crash include Libyan chief of staff of the land forces, the head of the military manufacturing authority, an adviser to the army chief, and a media office photographer.

No cause of the crash has been released so far, but search and rescue operations are underway.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.