The Libyan army’s chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has died in a plane crash near the Turkish capital, Ankara, shortly after the private jet he was travelling in took off from an airport there.

The crash on Tuesday killed everyone on board, Al Jazeera reported.

The victims included four other high-ranking Libyan military officials and three crew members.

Turkish officials told Al Jazeera that initial investigations have ruled out sabotage and instead point to a technical failure as the cause of the crash.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah confirmed al-Haddad’s death in a statement on Facebook, saying the “tragic accident” took place as the delegation was returning home.

The Libyan delegation was in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries, according to Turkish officials.

MNA