- A cargo plane crashed near the northern Greek city of Kavala late on Saturday, according to media reports.
- According to media reports, eight people were on board the Ukrainian Antonov An-12, none of them survived the accident.
- The plane was en route from Serbia to Jordan.
The pilot had requested an emergency landing due to an engine problem, and contact was lost shortly afterwards. Video footage uploaded to ertnews.gr shows the plane on fire and rapidly descending before hitting the ground, followed by what appears to be an explosion.
According to media reports, eight people were on board, and nobody survived the accident. Residents in the area were asked to keep their windows closed and their air conditioners off.
The Antonov had probably loaded twelve tons of “toxic material”, there were toxic fumes in the air, it was said. What kind of material it is exactly was not known at first. Loaded ammunition was also reported, especially as numerous explosions were heard after the crash.
Legend:
According to media reports, none of the eight passengers survived the crash.
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The machine is said to have taken off from Nis, Serbia, and was on its way to Amman, Jordan, when the pilot reported problems with an engine and requested an emergency landing at Kavala Airport. The crew did not make it there, however, and the plane crashed about 40 kilometers from the airport.
Legend:
Two firefighters were taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties.
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Cell phone recordings from local residents documented that the plane was on fire before the crash. First, a large contingent of fire brigade, ambulance and police arrived, then the rescue workers withdrew from the scene of the accident and also asked journalists and spectators to leave the area immediately.
One is waiting for special forces, two colleagues were taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties, a firefighter told the state broadcaster ERT.