Russian helicopters are searching for the pilots of a Russian Su-24 fighter jet that was shut down by Turkey near the Syrian border on Tuesday, Turkey's Dogan News Agency reported.
Turkey also dispatched helicopters to search for the downed pilots, who were seen in amateur video footage parachuting to safety. The pilots were also being hunted by local rebel forces who are hostile to Russia due to recent bombings of their villages.
One of the pilots was captured by Turkmen groups in northern Syria, local CnnTurk news broadcaster reported.
A rebel official was quoted in the Associated Press as saying that the captured Russian pilot was found dead upon landing. There were media reports rebels fired at the pilots parachuting.
The whereabouts of the second pilot are unknown.
The Su-24 had been warned 10 times in five minutes about its violation of Turkish airspace, before two Turkish F-16 jets "interfered", the Turkish military said.
[caption id="attachment_2149" align="alignnone" width="620"]
This map shows the alleged route of the plane (in red), according to the Turkish government.[/caption]
The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that a Su-24 warplane crashed in Syria.
"A Russian Su-24 located at the altitude of 6,000 meters in Syrian airspace crashed allegedly because of gunfire from the ground," Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed defense ministry official as saying.
