The wreckage of a Turkish firefighting aircraft that went missing in Croatia has been found, with the pilot confirmed dead, Türkiye’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı announced on Thursday evening.

“The wreckage of our General Directorate of Forestry firefighting plane, which lost radio contact in Croatia, has been found near the city of Senj, Croatia. I pray for Allah’s mercy on our pilot, who was martyred in this tragic accident, and extend my condolences and patience to his family and loved ones,” Yumaklı said in a message posted on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

The tragedy occurred during a routine flight for scheduled maintenance. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, two AT802 firefighting aircraft belonging to the General Directorate of Forestry had departed from Çanakkale on Wednesday, November 12, at 10:24 a.m. local time, bound for Zagreb, Croatia, where they were to undergo maintenance work.

Due to deteriorating weather conditions, both aircraft were forced to spend the night at Rijeka Airport in Croatia. The following day, Thursday, November 13, at 17:38 Turkish time, the two planes took off again for Zagreb. However, adverse weather once more forced them to turn back toward Rijeka.

While one of the aircraft landed safely at Rijeka Airport, radio contact with the second plane was lost at 18:25. Search and rescue teams in Croatia later located the wreckage near the coastal city of Senj, confirming the death of the pilot.

The Turkish authorities are coordinating with Croatian officials to determine the cause of the crash.

The loss marks another somber moment for Türkiye’s General Directorate of Forestry, whose firefighting pilots are often called upon to battle forest fires both domestically and abroad. The incident underscores the ongoing risks faced by aerial firefighting crews operating under challenging weather and terrain conditions.

Funeral arrangements for the martyred pilot are expected to be announced following the repatriation of his body to Türkiye. (ILKHA)