7 Turkish security personnel martyred in reconnaissance plane crash - minister

Seven Turkish security personnel have been martyred in a plane crash in the east of the country, Turkish media outlets media reported on Thursday by citing the official sources.

"Our teams have informed us that we have lost seven heroes, two of them are the pilots," Süleyman Soylu told reporters in the eastern province.

The plane crashed at an altitude of 2,200 meters (7218 feet) on Mount Artos, Soylu added.

The 2015 model-plane was missioned for reconnaissance and surveillance in Van and Hakkari provinces since Monday, said Soylu.

He said the pilots contacted the tower for the last time when they were around Başkale district at 10.32 p.m. (1932GMT).

At around 10.45 p.m. (1945GMT), radar and communication were completely stopped, he added.

Soylu later arrived in the region where the plane crashed.

Provincial governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez paid tribute to the seven "heroes" on Twitter and sent condolences to their families.

A government investigation into the incident was underway, he added.

Two Turkish pilots died in 2018 when a military training plane crashed during an exercise in the western province of Izmir.

Remote and mountainous Van province on Turkey's eastern border with Iran was struck by two avalanches in February that killed 41 people.