Photo of Hasan Bahar, the pilot who died in the crash of a firefighting aircraft in Croatia, who had survived with injuries in a separate aircraft accident in the western province of Muğla in August.
The wreckage of a Turkish firefighting plane that went missing in Croatia has been located, with the pilot, Hasan Bahar, confirmed dead, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı announced on Nov. 13.
"The wreckage of our General Directorate of Forestry firefighting plane, which lost radio contact in Croatia, has been found near the city of Senj," Yumaklı said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.
"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," he added.
Earlier, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry reported that radio contact was lost with the aircraft.
"Two AT802 firefighting planes belonging to the General Directorate of Forestry departed from Çanakkale on 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 Rijeka Airport," the ministry said on X.
"On Nov. 13, 2025, at 17:38 Turkish time, the planes took off for Zagreb but began returning to Rijeka due to adverse weather. One plane landed safely, but radio contact was lost with the other at 18:25," it added.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed condolences on X, stating: "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."
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also posted on X early Nov. 14: "I extend my condolences to the family and loved ones of our pilot who was martyred. May Allah have mercy on him."
