Body of one jet crash victim claimed to be missing in Iran

TEHRAN – Dogan News Agency

The body of a woman, who died after a private Turkish jet crashed in Iran on March 11, is claimed to be missing, the Iranian authorities have stated.

Previously it was announced that the bodies of all 11 women, including three crew members, were recovered after the crash.

However, subsequent reports stated that the Iranian forensic authority announced that they had only recovered the bodies of 10 women and the body of the pilot, Beril Gebeş, is still missing.

Meanwhile, there were also reports saying the body of Gebeş will be sent to Turkey after the necessary DNA procedures are completed.

A military jet brought the bodies of 10 women to Turkey on March 14.

The Turkish jet crashed in Iran while flying from United Arab Emirates to Turkey. The Bombardier Challenger 604 was carrying Mina Başaran, the daughter of a Turkish businessman, and seven of her friends.

Başaran, the 28-year-old daughter of Hüseyin Başaran, had spent several days in the UAE with friends celebrating ahead of her wedding next month.

The flight took off on March 11 from Sharjah in the U.A.E.

Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said the plane crashed at 6:09 p.m. after the pilot requested to descend due to a “technical problem.”

Iranian state television quoted Mojtaba Khaledi, the spokesman of the country’s emergency management organization, as saying the plane hit a mountain in Shahr-e Kord and burst into flames.

The hen party was also intended for three other women on board who were due to marry this summer. Several of the victims, such as Mina, had enjoyed successful careers in the fashion industry.

Turkish media reported that at least one was pregnant.

The two female pilots were reportedly Gebeş and Melike Kuvvet, who was one of the first female pilots in the Turkish Armed Forces but subsequently left to work in civil aviation.