Plane carrying weapons crashes in Greece killing Ukrainian crew on board

The aircraft took off in Serbia and was destined from Bangladesh when it experienced engine trouble

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  A cargo plane with eight people on board crashed near the city of Kavala in northern Greece late on Saturday. Reuters

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  Ambulances are seen at the crash site of the Antonov An-12. Reuters

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  Reports said the four-engine turboprop aircraft was owned by Ukrainian cargo airline Meridian. Reuters

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  Smouldering debris at the crash near the village of Palaiochori, west of Kavala International Airport. AP

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  State TV ERT reported that the aircraft had been flying from Nis Constantine the Great Airport in Serbia to Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. AP

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  Strewn debris near Palaiochori. The pilot had reportedly requested an emergency landing due to an engine problem but the aircraft's signal was then lost. AP

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  Local authorities said 15 firefighters in seven fire vehicles attended the scene of the crash. Reuters

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  Charred debris at the crash site. Video footage showed the aircraft descending fast before hitting the ground in an apparent explosion. Reuters

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  Authorities did not immediately give information on casualties or details of the aircraft's cargo. A disaster response unit was investigating. Reuters

A Ukrainian cargo plane carrying munitions from Serbia to Bangladesh crashed near the city of Kavala in northern Greece on Saturday night, Serbian authorities said on Sunday.

Ukrainian-based airline Meridian, which operated the aircraft, said all eight Ukrainian crew members on board were killed. The airline’s director, Denys Bohdanovytch, told Reuters it was “not related to Ukraine or Russia”.

The Antonov An-12 aircraft was carrying around 11.5 tonnes of weapons, including mortars and mines, said Serbia’s defence minister Nebojsa Stefanovic.

The cargo was being delivered to Bangladesh as part of a purchase order by its ministry of defence.

Serbia’s defence minister Nebojsa Stefanovic told a news conference on Sunday that the cargo included illuminating mortar shells and training shells, and that “some media speculation” that the plane was carrying weapons destined for Ukraine was “completely untrue.”

He said the weapons shipment, owned by Serbian armament company Valir, had been agreed with the Bangladeshi defence ministry “in accordance with international rules”.

The plane had taken off from Nis airport in Serbia at about 8:40pm (1840 GMT) on Saturday. According to Greek state media, the aircraft's signal was lost soon after the pilot requested an emergency landing from Greek aviation authorities due to an engine problem.

The aircraft had been looking to land at Kavala airport but had not managed to reach it.

“Sadly, according to the information we have received, the eight members of the crew died in the crash,” Mr Stefanovic told the news conference.

Witnesses described seeing a fireball falling from the sky before exploding as it crashed into corn fields.

A special disaster response unit and army experts were sent to the scene and local authorities issued a ban on people moving in the area.

Picture obtained form social media shows the Antonov An-12 cargo plane on fire while moving through the night sky near Kavala, Greece. Meteokav.GR/Reuters

Greek rescue services were using a drone on Sunday to monitor the wreckage of the aircraft as fears about the toxicity of the cargo forced them to keep at a distance.

The Ukrainian consul in Thessaloniki, Vadim Sabluk, visited the area on Sunday.

Athens News Agency said an investigation would be launched into the cause of the accident.