From Selcan Hacaoglu, the AP: The bodies of two Turkish pilots were recovered from the seabed on Thursday after U.S. ocean explorer Robert Ballard, best known for discovering the wreck of the Titanic, helped locate them nearly two weeks after their jet was shot down by Syria.
A Turkish official said Ballard, aboard his deep-sea exploration vessel R/V Nautilus, found the bodies Wednesday 8.6 nautical miles off the Syrian coast after the Turkish navy had pinpointed the area. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Turkey’s military said in a statement on its website that the bodies were taken to the base in the southern city of Malatya where their plane had originally taken off. It did not say how and by whom the bodies were recovered. A funeral ceremony was scheduled for Friday.
The military said the R/V Nautilus is continuing to search for more pieces of the plane’s wreckage. (photo: University of Texas)
UPDATE: Turkey releases images of downed plane
Image: utexas%207%205%2012%20Nautilus.jpg