Bodies of Turkish Pilots of Downed Plane Found

F-4 Phantom jet

MOSCOW, July 4 (RIA Novosti)

The bodies of two Turkish pilots of a jet downed by Syria in the Mediterranean Sea were found on Wednesday, the Hurriyet daily reported.

Pilot Cpt. Gokhan Ertan and pilot Lt. Hasan Huseyin Aksoy had been missing since their RF-4 plane was shot down by Syria on June 22.

The bodies were located at a depth of 1,260 meters.

Turkey sent missile batteries, tanks and troops to Syria's border last week. Dozens of military vehicles headed for the border in a convoy that included air defense systems.

The F-4 Phantom jet went down over the Mediterranean in an incident which has further strained relations between the two nations, once close allies.

Syria has insisted it engaged the F-4 Phantom "according to the laws that govern such situations" after it strayed into its airspace. Turkey says the plane was in international airspace.

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoebi has said his country's forces may have mistaken the Turkish jet for an Israeli one.