Rize: A small private plane made an emergency landing in the Black Sea off the coast of Rize province in northern Turkey on Wednesday after taking off from Batumi, Georgia. The plane was en route from Batumi to Ordu-Giresun Airport in Turkey when it made the emergency landing off the coast of Pazar district in Rize province due to a technical malfunction.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Turkish Coast Guard General Command dispatched teams to the area following a report of the incident. The teams rescued two people on board, both Belgian nationals, who were taken to Ka§kar State Hospital as a precaution. Rize Governor Ihsan Selim Baydas stated that an emergency was declared immediately upon contact with the aircraft.

He added, “The plane was unable to approach the airport and was forced to land in the sea. A high alert was immediately declared, and Coast Guard teams reached the aircraft.” The rescued individuals, both Belgian men aged 55 and 69, were reported to be in stable condition and were taken to the hospital for necessary examinations.

Baydas explained that the plane suffered an engine malfunction, and teams are currently working to recover it. For its part, the Turkish Ministry of Transport stated in a post on the American company X’s platform that the aircraft is a WT9 model registered in France.