Antakya : A Turkish pilot died when a firefighting aircraft operated by the General Directorate of Forestry crashed in Croatia after losing contact during severe weather, Turkish authorities said.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı confirmed that the wreckage was located near the city of Sinj.
The ministry said earlier that contact was lost with one of two firefighting planes that left Çanakkale on November 12 for scheduled maintenance in Zagreb. Both aircraft had stopped overnight at Rijeka Airport due to poor weather.
On Thursday evening, the planes attempted to continue to Zagreb before turning back to Rijeka, where one landed safely. Contact with the other aircraft was lost during the return flight.
