Türkiye’s Interior Ministry said a Russian-origin unmanned aerial vehicle believed to be an Orlan-10 reconnaissance and surveillance drone was found in Kocaeli’s Izmit district, adding that an investigation is ongoing.
In a statement, the ministry said the drone was located within the boundaries of the Çubuklubala neighborhood in Izmit and was initially assessed to be a Russian-made Orlan-10 type used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes. Authorities said further examinations into the incident are continuing.
The unmanned aerial vehicle fell into a rural area of the Çubuklubala neighborhood, prompting the dispatch of gendarmerie and crime scene investigation teams following a report. Security teams cordoned off the area and began a thorough technical examination at and around the crash site.
A local resident who witnessed the incident said the drone fell several days earlier, but he did not approach it out of fear.
“It’s been three days, I saw it on Wednesday. I heard a sound while coming down from the field and realized it was going to fall. Then it hit and crashed. I was afraid to get close to it,” the resident said, adding that he feared it could be dangerous or explosive and initially did not inform anyone.
The individual later reported the incident to the village headman after no one came to retrieve the device. The headman then alerted authorities.
Çubuklubala neighborhood headman Muharrem Kaymaz said the resident saw an object flying on Wednesday around 11 a.m. before it crashed into the field. “He couldn’t approach it because he was scared and thought its owner might come and take it. Today he informed us, and we notified the authorities,” Kaymaz said, adding that investigations are currently underway and details are still unclear.
Security forces remain at the scene as technical assessments continue.
