Greek, Turkish Fighter Jets Collide Above Aegean Sea

ANKARA, TURKEY - Greek and Turkish fighter planes collided Tuesday in disputed airspace above the Aegean Sea.

The NATO allies gave different accounts of the incident. Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and her Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul spoke shortly after the crash, and said it would not affect their relations.

Turkish authorities say the Turkish pilot ejected and was rescued by a merchant ship. But the fate of the Greek pilot remains unclear. Turkish authorities say he died and they have expressed sadness at his loss. But Greek authorities say that search and rescue efforts continue near the island of Karpathos.

Turkey and Greece came close to a war about 10 years ago. Ties between Athens and Ankara have improved considerably since that crisis, but the two sides have not made progress in efforts to resolve their territorial disputes in the Aegean Sea.