Turkey: Pilot Martyred In Military Plane Crash

A Turkish pilot was martyred when a military plane crashed Wednesday in central Turkey, according to the National Defense Ministry.

"An NF-5 aircraft belonging to our Air Force, which was on a training flight in [central] Konya, suffered an accident at 14: 15 [1115 GMT] for an unknown reason," the ministry said on Twitter.

It said an investigation has been launched into the accident.

The ministry also said that the plane belonged to Turkish Stars, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force.

Emergency teams were dispatched to the site after the plane crashed in the Fevzi Cakmak neighborhood in Karatay district, according to local sources.

Following the accident, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a tweet wished Allah's mercy upon the martyr and conveyed condolences to his family.

Among those who extended condolences to the martyr's family were Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and head of opposition IYI (Good) Party Meral Aksener.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Embassy in Ankara wrote on Twitter: "Our deepest condolences on the tragic crash of NF-5 aircraft in #Konya today. Our thoughts and prayers go to the family of the martyred pilot, Turkish Armed Forces and the people of Turkey."

*Savas Guler in Konya contributed to this story
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