Athens: One of the two Greek pilots on board a fighter jet that crashed into the Ionian Sea west of the country was found dead on Monday, while the other remains missing, Greek authorities reported. Rescue teams were able to recover the body of one pilot from the floodwaters several hours after the accident, state radio ERT reported, citing the coast guard.
Hope of recovering the missing pilot alive is dwindling, experts said on the radio.
The incident was reported when pilots of another Greek aircraft saw the F-4 Phantom 2 plane crash west of the Peloponnese peninsula on Monday, the report added.
At the time of the accident, the pilots of the downed jet were practising a low-level flight.
According to the Defence Ministry in Athens, the accident is not linked to the tensions between Greece and Turkey. The NATO states have been arguing for decades about sovereign rights in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean. (dpa)
