Istanbul: Technical experts on Thursday began the formal analysis of flight recorders recovered from a private jet crash that killed eight people, including Western Libya's top military commander, according to the Turkish Defence Ministry.

The investigation into the Tuesday night disaster is being conducted as a joint effort between Turkish and Libyan authorities. The aircraft, a Falcon 50 business jet, was carrying Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four high-ranking military officers, and three crew members when it went down shortly after departing from Ankara, Turkiye's capital. Everyone on board was killed.

Libyan officials have initially attributed the crash to a technical malfunction. The high-level delegation was returning to Tripoli following defence talks in Ankara intended to strengthen military ties between the two nations. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that the recovery mission was hindered by a wreckage field spanning 3 square kilometres (more than a square mile).

Gen. al-Haddad served as the primary military leader for western Libya and was a central figure in United Nations-led negotiations to integrate the country's fractured military forces. His death is seen as a significant blow to those unification efforts.

To assist with the probe, a 22-person delegation from Libya, which includes five family members of the victims, arrived in Ankara early Wednesday.

Libya has remained in a state of political and social upheaval since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. The nation is currently divided between competing administrations in the east and west, each supported by various foreign powers and localised militias. While Turkiye has historically been the principal ally of the Tripoli-based western government, it has recently sought to cultivate better relations with the rival administration in the east.

With inputs from AP