A Ukrainian cargo plane crashes in Greece. People shouldn’t leave their homes.
Kavala – A Ukrainian Antonov An-12 cargo plane crashed near the northeastern Greek city of Kavala late Saturday evening (July 16). 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 not turn on their air conditioners.
The Ministry of Citizen Protection sent a corresponding warning SMS. The Antonow An-12 is said to have had twelve tons of “toxic goods” on board, the state broadcaster ERT reported on Sunday night (July 17). It was not initially known what exactly the cargo was.
Greece: Pilot requested emergency landing – people film plane crash
The Ukrainian Antonov was reportedly taking off from Nis, Serbia, and en route to Amman, Jordan, when the pilot reported engine problems and requested an emergency landing at the airport in the city of Kavala. The flight tracker Flightradar24 showed how the plane changed course near the Chalkidiki peninsula over the North Aegean towards Kavala – but the crew couldn’t make it until then. The plane crashed in an uninhabited area near the villages of Paleochori and Antifilippi, less than 40 kilometers from Kalava.
In the area, a number of people 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. First, a large contingent of fire brigades, ambulances and police arrived, but the rescue services soon withdrew. “Even though we wore masks, the air was unbearable. There was not only smoke, but also acrid fumes,” a firefighter told reporters. Two firefighters were taken to the hospital with respiratory problems.
Plane crash in Greece: Mayor rules out chemical and nuclear toxins
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 the state broadcaster ERT and assured that there were no chemical or nuclear warfare agents. The military is on the way to the scene of the accident.
For hours after the crash, explosions could be heard from the burning remains of the plane. The rubble of the Antonow is said to be spread out within a radius of 800 meters, and the area has been cordoned off over a large area. According to experts, terms like “toxic goods” can mean many different things; including ammunition, weapons, but also batteries for military purposes, which would also release toxic gases in the event of a fire. (nak/dpa)
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