8 Killed After Cargo Plane Carrying Ammunition Crashed in Greece

A cargo plane transporting 11.5 tons of military ammunition from Serbia crashed in northern Greece, triggering warnings to nearby residents they could be exposed to dangerous fumes.

By dpa correspondents

Source dpa (TNS)

July 18, 2022

3 min read

This picture taken on July 17, 2022 shows the crash site of an Antonov An-12 cargo aircraft a few kilometers away from the city of Kavala in Greece. - A cargo aircraft Antonov An-12 crashed near Paleochori Kavalas in northern Greece, the fire brigade said. Eye-witnesses said the aircraft was on fire and that they had heard explosions, Athens News Agency reported.

ATHENS — A cargo plane transporting 11.5 tons of military ammunition from Serbia crashed in northern Greece, triggering warnings to nearby residents they could be exposed to dangerous fumes.

All eight crew members on board the Antonov An-12 died when the Soviet-designed aircraft went down near the city of Kavala on Saturday night, officials in Greece and Serbia said on Sunday.

Seven of the eight bodies had been recovered by Sunday evening. Military experts deployed to the site didn't find any toxic substances, the ANA news agency reported.

According to the To Proto Thema newspaper, the aircraft's blackbox has also been discovered.

Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said the cargo had been loaded on the plane at Nis airport on Saturday evening. The plane then set off for Bangladesh, with planned stopovers in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, he was quoted by ANA as saying.

Over the northern Aegean Sea, the pilot had reported problems with the engine and requested an emergency landing. However, the plane did not make it to the closest airport in Kavala, Greece, Stefanovic said.

It crashed into a field near two villages, narrowly missing houses and apparently destroyed electricity pylons when it went down.

Mobile phone pictures taken by residents showed the plane on fire in the night sky before impact. Explosions were heard at the site hours after the crash.

The debris was scattered across a radius of hundreds of miles and the area was cordoned off, according to Greek state broadcaster ERT.

Residents living nearby were told by the Greek Civil Protection to keep their windows closed and not to turn on their air conditioning.

A firefighter told ERT that two colleagues had been taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties.

A special unit of the Greek army had been sent to the crash site to examine the debris. The experts are able to detect nuclear, biological and chemical and other dangerous agents.

Stefanovic said during a news conference on Sunday morning that the plane had been carrying 11.5 tons of ammunition for mortar shells, which was produced in Serbia.

The aircraft had all the necessary permits for transport, he added.

Stefanovic denied media speculation that the plane was carrying weapons to Ukraine, saying it was merely owned by an Ukrainian airline. The ammunition, however, had been acquired by Bangladesh's Defense Ministry, he said.

Jordan denied early reports that the Middle East monarchy was the final destination of the plane.

The plane was scheduled to make a stopover on Saturday night for refueling at Queen Alia International Airport in the capital Amman before resuming its flight, Jordan’s state news agency Petra reported, citing an official source at the Jordanian civil aviation authority.

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