A cargo plane crashed late Saturday night near the northeastern Greek city of Kavala. According to state television ERT, it was an Antonov An-12 belonging to a Ukrainian company en route from Serbia to Jordan. Eight people were said to have been on board, but none survived the accident. According to media reports, the machine had loaded 12 tons of “toxic material”. Residents around the crash site were advised to stay indoors and keep windows closed.
The machine allegedly took off from Nis, Serbia, and was en route to Amman, Jordan, when the pilot reported engine problems and requested an emergency landing at Kavala Airport. However, the crew did not make it and the plane crashed about 40 kilometers from the airport. On the online flight tracker Flightradar24, the flight path showed that the Antonov was already over the northern Aegean Sea near the Chalkidiki peninsula and was then heading back towards Kavala.
Plane was already in the sky
Loaded ammunition was also reported, especially as numerous explosions could be heard after the crash. In the area, a number of residents saw and filmed the crash of the plane, which was already on fire in the air and was therefore clearly visible in the night sky. A large contingent of firefighters, ambulances and police arrived at first, but rescuers soon withdrew. “Although we wore masks, the air was unbearable. There was not only smoke, but also sharp fumes,” a firefighter told reporters. Two of his colleagues were taken to hospital with breathing problems.
The mayor of the affected municipality of Pangeo, Filippos Anastasiadis, confirmed that night that the machine had loaded “dangerous material”. It was probably ammunition, he told state broadcaster ERT, assuring there were no chemical or nuclear weapons of war. The army is on its way to the scene of the accident.
Cargo details not yet known
Hours after the crash, explosions could be heard from the burning remains of the plane. The debris of the Antonow is said to have spread within a radius of 800 meters, the area has been cordoned off over a large area. Experts said on television that terms like ‘toxic goods’ can mean many different things, ammunition, weapons, but also batteries for military use, which would also release toxic gases in a fire.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
