A Ukrainian cargo plane carrying weapons from Serbia to Bangladesh crashed in Greece Saturday, killing all eight crew members, authorities said Sunday.
The An-12 cargo plane suffered engine trouble and was trying to make an emergency landing before it crashed into a corn field in Kavala, a city in northern Greece, on Saturday, Greek and Serbian officials said.
The incident was unrelated to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The names of the eight deceased crew members were not immediately released.
Serbian authorities said the plane was bringing more than 25,000 pounds of munitions including mortar and training shells that were made in Serbia, to Bangladesh.
The An-12, a Soviet-built turboprop aircraft, was only about 25 miles from an airport when it crashed.
Witnesses said the plane looked like it came down in a ball of flames.
Greek authorities said an Antonov plane, which was headed from Serbia to Jordan, crashed near the city of Kavala on Saturday. Ilias Kotsireas/InTime News via AP
Debris is seen at the crash site of an Antonov An-12 cargo plane owned by a Ukrainian company, near Kavala, Greece, July 17, 2022. REUTERS“It was full of smoke, it had a noise I can’t describe and went over the mountain. It passed the mountain and turned and crashed into the fields,” witness Aimilia Tsaptanova said. “I wonder how it didn’t fall on our houses.”
Locals were told to close their windows, stay inside and wear masks because of the chemicals possibly on the plane.
A night view of the site of a plane crash, a few miles away from the city of Kavala, in northern Greece, on Saturday, July 16, 2022. Ilias Kotsireas/InTime News via AP
Greek media reported there were eight people on the cargo plane and that it was carrying 12 tons of “dangerous materials.” REUTERSFirefighters “felt their lips burning” and saw white dust floating in the air, although officials determined it was not dangerous.
Some in the region also lost power, officials said. The flight was being operated by Meridian Airline, which is based in Ukraine.
With Post wires.
