ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish Air Force F‑16 fighter jet crashed near a highway in western Turkey early Wednesday, killing its pilot, officials and media reports said.

Radio and radar contact with the jet was lost shortly after midnight after it took off from the 9th Main Jet Base in Balikesir province, according to a defense ministry statement.

Search and rescue operations were immediately launched, the ministry said, adding that the wreckage was soon located and the pilot had been “martyred.”

The aircraft went down near a section of the Istanbul–Izmir highway, scattering debris across a wide area, Hurriyet newspaper reported. Security forces, firefighters, and medical teams were dispatched to the scene.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, the ministry said, adding that an investigation would be carried out by an accident inquiry team.