Greek pilot’s body found by Aegean fishermen — State TV

ATHENS: The body of a Greek fighter pilot who crashed in the Aegean after a mission to intercept Turkish jets has been found by fishermen, state media reported Friday.

The mayor of Aegean island Skyros, Miltos Hatziyiannakis, told state-run Greek television station ERT that men in a fishing boat found “some of the remains of the plane” and the pilot’s body on Thursday evening.

The death of 34-year-old father of two Georgios Baltadoros comes at a period of heightened tension between Greece and Turkey.

It prompted Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to call his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras on Thursday, during which the two leaders pledged to “strengthen dialogue” between the regional rivals and NATO allies.

Baltadoros’ Mirage 2000-5 plane fell into the sea a short distance from Skyros airport as it returned from a mission to intercept Turkish jets that had entered what Greece considers its airspace.

The Turkish planes had already left by the time Baltadoros and a wingman arrived in the area near the island of Lesbos, in the eastern Aegean. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

Greek media have speculated that the pilot suffered a blackout or spatial disorientation.

The condition of his body indicates that “he was unable to react” to the crash, Hatziyi anna k is said.

Greece’s armed forces are observing a three-day mourning period for the pilot.