Seven Turkish security officials died after their plane crashed into a mountain in the east of the country.

According to details, Reconnaissance plane crashed into Mount Artos, a dormant volcano in the province of Van

Communication with the aircraft – which was carrying two pilots and five “technical personnel” – had been lost at around 10.45 pm local time,  it had crashed at an altitude of 2,200 m.

Officials later arrived to inspect the scene of the crash.

The 2015-model plane had been conducting “reconnaissance and surveillance” in Van and the predominantly-Kurdish Hakkari province since Monday.

Hakkari province borders Iraq and has seen numerous clashes between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants during a decades-long insurgency.

A government investigation into the incident was underway.