At least eight people were killed when a cargo jet crashed into the sea near the Greek city of Kavala on Sunday.
At least 11 tonnes of munitions and mines were on board the Antonov An-12 when it crashed in Bangladesh on Saturday night, the country’s defense minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said.
Videos posted online by eyewitnesses showed the plane being consumed by a massive fireball after it crashed.
“I believe the crew was Ukrainian, but I am unable to confirm this at this time. They weren’t Serbian in the slightest, but “During a press conference, Stefanovic revealed this information.
On Saturday, about 8:40 p.m. local time, a plane carrying weaponry owned by private Serbian business Valir took off from Nis airport in Serbia.
An emergency landing attempt at Kavala Airport was authorized but the plane never arrived, according to Greek media reports.
Greek rescuers used a drone on Sunday to keep an eye on the plane’s wreckage because of concerns about the cargo’s toxicity.
State-run According to Greek television, after the accident site was confirmed secure, the army, explosives specialists, and personnel from the Greek Atomic Energy Commission would all arrive.
“Firemen with sophisticated equipment and measuring tools approached the point of impact of the aircraft and got a careful look at the fuselage and other parts strewn in the fields,” fire brigade spokesman Marios Apostolidis told reporters.
He stated that search teams would enter the area if it was determined to be safe.
Local officials reported that a 13-person fire department special team, 26 firefighters, and seven fire engines had been dispatched to the location, but that they had not yet been able to approach the collision site.
This was captured on video by a local television station, which showed the plane in parts spread over a large area of land.
Witnesses described seeing and hearing explosions as well as seeing the airplane on fire.
“About two kilometres away from an inhabited area,” said Filippos Anastasiadis, mayor of adjacent Paggaio. “Toxic fumes.”
Families were instructed to stay inside their houses and wear face masks on Saturday night within a two-mile radius of the crash scene.
Two firefighters had to be transported to the hospital early on Sunday due of poisonous gases in the air.
State-run television station ERT quoted local resident Giorgos Archontopoulos saying he knew something wasn’t right as soon as he heard the plane’s engine.
According to him, he was startled by the plane’s engine’s sound about 2245 GMT (1945 GMT). “When I stepped outside, I found the engine fully engulfed in flames.”
On Sunday, the Ukrainian consul in Thessaloniki, Vadim Sabluk, made an official visit to the region.
According to the Athens News Agency, he had provided the police with the names of the eight members of the flight crew and stated that the plane was headed to Bangladesh.
Serbia’s defense minister said that the weapons transfer had been approved upon “in conformity with international regulations” by the Bangladesh defense ministry.
Media reports have assumed that the jet was carrying weaponry bound for Ukraine, but that is entirely wrong,” he stated.
