Search parties on Saturday found the body of a pilot whose fighter jet crashed in central Greece, more than 24 hours after the aircraft had gone missing.

The body of the pilot, Pandelis Gelis, was found in the wreckage of the single seater Mirage 2000 fighter jet in a mountainous area close to the town of Livadia, central Greece. Sources said it is likely the pilot did not use the seat ejector as he tryied to keep the plane from crashing up until the last moment. An investigation has been launched into what caused the incident.

Air force officials responded to criticism of delays in finding the wreckage by saying they had launched one of the largest search operations to take place in Greece under very difficult weather conditions.

The jet took off from Tanagra air base at 8.58 a.m. on Friday and disappeared from radars soon afterward.