A Turkish F-16 fighter jet, which was reported missing by the Turkish command on Monday, crashed near the border with Syria, the BBC reports , citing Turkish media.

Earlier, the Al-Arabiya TV channel reported in its microblog on Twitter that the Turkish military command had lost contact with one of the fighters flying in the south of the country near the border with Syria. It was reported that contact with the fighter was lost while it was in the mountainous border area.

The fighter crashed near the city of Yarpuz, reports Hurriyet Daily News , citing data from the administration of Osmaniye province, where the crash occurred. Local residents confirmed that they heard a loud explosion-like sound. Yarpuz is located 30 km from the administrative center of Osmaniye.

There is no information yet about the fate of the pilot, but authorities assume that he managed to eject. The command said the pilot transmitted the message, “I’m jumping,” before contact with the F-16 was lost. A search and rescue operation is underway.

The causes of the incident have not yet been established.

In June 2012, a Turkish military aircraft was shot down by the Syrian military over the Mediterranean Sea. Two people died.

Turkish fighter jet crashed near the Syrian border