Bodies of Dead Pilots Found Near Crashed Cessna

Special police troops found the pilots’ bodies. The Cessna that went missing on Mount Velebit was found in a 150-metre gorge.

ZADAR, CROATIA – The bodies of four pilots who were flying in the Cessna plane were found on Tuesday morning, on the sixth day of search for the plane.

 - The bodies of the pilots were found next to the plane by members of the special police – interior ministry’s secretary Dubravko Novak told us.

The Cessna dropped off the Croatian flight control radar last Thursday at about 4pm, while it was in th Vagan Summit area. The plane carried pilots Gerd Govejsek, 63, Walter Aleksandar, 49, Miljenko Bartolic, 61 and Zvonko Kelek, 68.

He added that for now there is indication that after the plane crashed, it had been covered by an avalanche, which made the search for it difficult.

Srdjan Vrsalovic, head of the Mountain Search and Rescue Service’s helicopter department, confirmed to us that the plane had been found on the north side of the Vagan Summit.

- The Cessna was found north of the Vagan Summit. Now we are withdrawing and ceasing the search – Vrsalovic said.

The plane was allegedly found in a 150-metre deep crevice at an altitude of 1,200 metres. The Search and Rescue Centre will hold a news conference at 1pm when they will release more information. The police still have no information about the fate of the pilots.

- Judging by the location where the wreck was found, the chances for the pilots’ surviving are minimal – said Zeljko Jurkovic, Lika-Senj police head.

The company Geofoto joined the search for the plane on Monday, which took aerial photos and gave to the Search Centre coordinates of locations where some objects had been noticed.

The Cessna dropped off the Croatian flight control radar last Thursday at about 4pm, while it was in th Vagan Summit area. The plane carried pilots Gerd Govejsek, 63, Walter Aleksandar, 49, Miljenko Bartolic, 61 and Zvonko Kelek, 68.