The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the killing of 11 soldiers, including a high-ranking officer, after their helicopter crashed in bad weather in the southeast of the country on Thursday.
Television footage from the accident site showed the ground covered with snow, while visibility was reduced due to thick clouds in that mountainous area.
Among the dead was the commander of the Eighth Turkish Legion, Lieutenant General Osman Erbas.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences to the families of the victims, and called the family of Lieutenant General Erbas, according to the presidency in a statement.
"I ask the Lord to have mercy on our heroic martyrs, and I wish a speedy recovery for the wounded, our condolences to the grieving families and our dear people," read the statement issued by the Turkish president.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the loss of contact with the helicopter over Bitlis (southeast), half an hour after its flight.
And immediately the European Union and the United States offered their condolences to Turkey, their NATO ally.
"We share Turkey's deep sadness," said the ambassador of the European Union to Turkey, Nicholas Mayer, Landrott, while the US embassy tweeted, "We are in solidarity with the families of all those affected and we wish a speedy recovery for the injured."
A Turkish diplomatic source said that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg offered his condolences to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu by phone.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense had announced that the helicopter was a Cougar manufactured by Airbus.
The incident took place in an area where the Turkish army has repeatedly launched operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara classifies as a "terrorist" organization.
It is noteworthy that in 2017 a Turkish military helicopter crashed in the Sirnak province at the borders with Syria and Iraq, killing 13 people.