Eight dead in cargo plane crash in Greece

Agencies | Athens

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

All eight crew members of a cargo plane that crashed near the Greek city of Kavala died in the accident, Serbia's defence minister said on Sunday. The Antonov An-12 was carrying around 11 tonnes of weapons as well as mines when it crashed on Saturday night, Nebojsa Stefanovic said.

The cargo plane, which took off from the city of Nis, Serbia, on Saturday crashed shortly before 11pm local time, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Kavala International Airport. Minutes before, the pilot of the plane, which was operated by Ukrainian cargo carrier Meridian, had told air traffic controllers, that there was a problem with one of his engines and that he had to make an emergency landing. He was directed to Kavala airport but never made it there.

The plane is a Soviet-era four-engine turboprop cargo carrier. Drone footage shows that small fragments are all that is left from the plane, which crashed in fields between two villages and dragged a small distance on the ground. Local residents reported seeing a fireball and hearing explosions for two hours after the crash. A plume of white smoke was still rising from the front end of the plane on Sunday morning.

Firefighters who rushed to the scene in the night were prevented from reaching the crash site by smoke and an intense smell which they feared might be toxic. Nearby residents were told to keep their windows shut all night, to not leave their homes and to wear masks. The fire service has cordoned off the area at a radius of about 400 metres.