BREAKING NEWS... Türkiye bids farewell to its martyrs! Last farewell to the heroes who were martyred in the helicopter crash in Malatya...

A ceremony was held at Mürted Airport Command for Land Pilot Major Erdem Çimen, Flight Helicopter Technician Petty Officer Senior Sergeant Hüseyin Zehir and Flight Helicopter Technician Petty Officer Senior Sergeant Serkan Önder, who were martyred as a result of the S-70 type helicopter crash in Malatya.

In addition to the families and relatives of the martyrs, Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu and force commanders attended the ceremony. At the ceremony, the biographies of the martyrs were read, a moment of silence was observed and prayers were said. The ceremony ended with the sending off of the martyrs' bodies to the planes that would be sent to their hometowns for burial.

MARTYR ORHUN PINAR WAS SENDED DOWN ON HIS LAST JOURNEY

A funeral prayer was performed for Martyr Major Orhun Pınar at the Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque following the noon prayer. In addition to the family and relatives of the martyr, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, Land Forces Commander General Metin Tokel, Air Force Commander General Rafet Dalkıran, Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, BBP Chairman Mustafa Destici, Police General Director Ali Fidan, Ankara Governor Yakup Canpolat, political party representatives, MPs, military officers and citizens attended the funeral.

The body of Martyr Black Pilot Major Pınar was buried in Çimşit Cemetery in Sincan.

HEROES ARE BEING BURIED IN THEIR COUNTRIES

One of the martyrs, Black Pilot Major Erdem Çimen (41), was married and had two children. After the news of Çimen's martyrdom reached, Turkish flags were hung in his house and on the street in Gaziemir district of Izmir. It was learned that the martyr's father, Turan Çimen, was a retired colonel and lived in Narlıdere district of Izmir. Martyr Çimen will be buried at Kadifekale Air Martyrs' Cemetery after the funeral prayer that will be performed following the afternoon prayer.

Aircraft Helicopter Technician Petty Officer Senior Sergeant Serkan Önder is survived by his 9-month-old daughter Gökçe. While his wife, Öznur Önder, burst into tears, a Turkish flag was hung at the martyr's father's home in Kayseri's Kocasinan district. Heroic martyr Önder will be buried at Seyid Burhaneddin Mosque in Kayseri Melikgazi after the afternoon prayer.

Aircraft Helicopter Technician Petty Officer Senior Sergeant Hüseyin Zehir was also married and the father of a 3-year-old son. His wife, Cansu Zehir, who works as a teacher in Malatya, was in Tekirdağ's Kapaklı district to visit her family. He received the sad news during this visit. The Turkish flag was hung in the family's house. Martyr Hüseyin Zehir will be buried in the Payas Martyrdom in his hometown, Hatay, after the funeral prayer that will be performed following the afternoon prayer.