The Turkish military have reportedly shot down a Russian military aircraft on the border with Syria. Russia’s defence ministry says a SU-24 had crashed on Syrian territory after being hit by fire from the ground, and that its pilots had managed to eject.

But Turkish military officials say Turkish F-16s had shot down the plane after repeatedly warning its pilots they were violating Turkish airspace. Video footage showed the plane crashing into mountains in Latakia province.

The Russian defence ministry confirmed earlier today that a Russian SU-24 had “crashed on Syrian territory, having been hit from the ground” while it was flying at an altitude of 19,685ft. Reports say “efforts are being made to ascertain what happened to the pilots. But according to preliminary reports, the pilots have managed to self-eject.

(newscentre5)