Turkish firefighting plane crashes in Croatia, pilot dead: Minister

ISTANBUL

The wreckage of a firefighting plane belonging to Türkiye’s General Directorate of Forestry that went missing in Croatia has been found, and the pilot has died, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said.

"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,” Yumakli said on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

Earlier, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said that radio contact was lost with a firefighting aircraft belonging to Türkiye’s General Directorate of Forestry in Croatia.

"Two AT802 firefighting planes belonging to the General Directorate of Forestry departed from Canakkale on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 10:24 a.m. local time for scheduled maintenance in Zagreb, Croatia. Due to weather conditions, both planes spent the night at Rejika Airport in Croatia.

"On Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at 17:38 Turkish time, the planes took off for Zagreb Airport but began returning to Rejika Airport due to adverse weather conditions. During the return route, one plane landed safely at Rejika Airport, but radio contact was lost with the other at 18:25," the ministry said on X.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a message of condolences on X, saying: “This evening, we received the news that a firefighting aircraft belonging to our General Directorate of Forestry unfortunately crashed in Croatia. We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident in which one of our pilots was martyred; I pray for God's mercy upon our martyr and extend my condolences to his family, our country, and our nation.”