An aircraft belonging to the Ukrainian company was carrying a cargo of munitions from Serbia that would be sent to Bangladesh. Firefighters struggled to contain the flames because of explosions. A cargo plane crashed on Saturday (16/07) in northern Greece, killing the eight crew on board.
The plane operated by Ukraine-based airline Meridian was traveling from Nis, Serbia, to Bangladesh, with a stopover in Jordan.
According to Greek media, the aircraft asked for permission to make an emergency landing at the Greek airport of Kavala, but crashed before reaching the runway.
Communication with the plane ceased almost immediately afterwards.
The aircraft was already on fire before it crashed, witnesses told local media.
The mayor of the community of Pangeo, Filippos Anastasiadis, said the plane was carrying “hazardous material”. Onlookers and journalists were warned to stay away from the wreckage.
The plane was an Antonov An-12 – a four-engine turboprop built in the Soviet era – owned by a Ukrainian company.
He was carrying mines and about 11 tons of weapons to Bangladesh, which had bought the material from Serbia. Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said the cargo included mortars and training bombs. He had taken off in the middle of the night, local time, from Nis.
Stefanovic confirmed that the entire Ukrainian crew died.
The plane crashed on farmland near two villages that are part of the municipality of Paggaio.
Local officials said 15 firefighters and seven fire engines were initially deployed to the area. Firefighters faced difficulties approaching the scene because of the ongoing explosions, officials said.
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