Ankara, February 25 (QNA) - A Turkish military pilot was killed on Wednesday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed shortly after take-off during a mission flight, local authorities said.

Governor Ismail Ustaoglu said the aircraft went down shortly after takeoff during a mission flight. Turkish media reported that the crash site was in the Naipli area of Balikesir's Karesi district, and traffic on part of the Istanbul-Izmir highway was temporarily halted as emergency teams worked at the scene.

In a statement, Turkey's defence ministry said a technical investigation had been launched to determine the cause of the accident, adding that search teams were dispatched to the site immediately after contact was lost.

The Turkish Interior Ministry said it was monitoring the investigation in coordination with relevant authorities. (QNA)