Thousands of people turned out to farewell Greece’s fallen Hellenic Air Force pilot Giorgos Baltadoros, with his funeral taking place at his home village of Morfovouni, Karditsa, in central Greece on Saturday.
An honour guard formed outside his local church where a Greek flag-draped the coffin, which was carried inside by his military colleagues, followed by his wife, parents and other family and friends.
The coffin was carried across to the church’s entrance where wreaths, including many which were placed by Greece’s military and political leaders.
Baltadoros’ wife and people in attendance also sang the Greek national anthem at the cemetery, as the coffin was being lowered to its final resting place.
The Greek Armed Forces have been observing three days of mourning for Baltadoros whose fighter jet crashed northeast of the Aegean island of Skyros on Thursday.
By order of Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, who attended today’s funeral, flags flew at half-mast at all military units.
Thirty-four-year-old Baltadoros, a father of two, died when his plane crashed after intercepting a pair of Turkish F-16s that violated Greek airspace between the eastern Aegean islands of Lesvos and Chios.
