Ukrainian cargo plane carrying weapons crashes in Greece

All eight crew members are killed as a airplane carrying army items en route from Serbia to Bangladesh crashes close to Kavala.

Debris is seen at the crash site of an Antonov An-12 cargo plane
Particles is seen on the crash web site of an Antonov An-12 cargo airplane owned by a Ukrainian firm, close to Kavala, Greece [Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters]

All eight crew members had been killed when a Ukrainian-operated cargo airplane carrying army items crashed in Greece en route from Serbia to Bangladesh, the Serbian defence minister mentioned.

Witnesses mentioned they noticed the privately operated Antonov airplane on hearth and heard explosions. Movies shared on social media confirmed the plane engulfed by a large fireball because it hit the bottom late on Saturday in Paleochori village close to the Greek metropolis of Kavala.

“Sadly, in accordance with the data we've got acquired, the eight members of the crew died within the crash,” Serbian Defence Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic informed a information convention on Sunday.

The Antonov An-12 took off from Nis airport in southern Serbia at round 8:40pm (18:40 GMT) on Saturday, carrying “round 11 tonnes of army business items” particularly mines from Valir, a non-public Serbian firm, to the Bangladeshi defence ministry, Stefanovic mentioned.

Ukraine’s overseas ministry mentioned the eight crew had been Ukrainian residents. “The preliminary explanation for the accident is the failure of one of many engines,” mentioned spokesman Oleg Nikolenko on Fb.

Denys Bogdanovych, basic director of Meridian, the Ukrainian airline working the airplane, additionally informed German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that the crew had been all Ukrainian.

Video footage from an area channel confirmed indicators of influence on a subject and the plane in items scattered in a big space.

In accordance with state-run TV, the military, explosives specialists and Greek Atomic Vitality Fee workers will method the world after it's deemed secure, as fears of the toxicity of the cargo compelled them to remain away.

Hearth brigade official Marios Apostolidis informed reporters: “Males from the fireplace service with particular tools and measuring devices approached the purpose of influence of the plane and had an in depth take a look at the fuselage and different components scattered within the fields.”

When the world is deemed safe, the search groups are going to function, he added.

Debris is seen at the crash site of an Antonov An-12 cargo plane
Particles is seen on the crash web site close to Kavala, Greece [Reuters]

As a powerful scent emanated from the crash web site, a coordinating committee made up of municipal, police and hearth service officers requested inhabitants of the adjoining areas to take precautions. They had been requested to maintain their home windows shut all evening and suggested to not depart their houses and to put on masks.

Two firefighters had been taken to the hospital early on Sunday with respiration points due to the poisonous fumes.

An area man, Giorgos Archontopoulos, informed state broadcaster ERT tv that he felt one thing was improper as quickly as he heard noise from the plane.

“At 22:45 [19:45 GMT], I used to be stunned by the sound of the engine of the plane,” he mentioned. “I went outdoors and noticed the engine on hearth.”

Native officers mentioned seven hearth engines had been deployed to the crash web site, however that they may not method due to the persevering with explosions.

Flames rise at the crash site of an Antonov An-12 cargo plane owned by a Ukrainian company, near Kavala, Greece, July 16, 2022
Flames rise on the crash web site close to Kavala, Greece [Laskaris Tsotsas/Eurokinissi via Reuters]

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