A Ukrainian transport plane carrying 11.5 tons of Serbian-made weapons and landmines as cargo crashed and exploded in Greece.
According to Serbian officials, a cargo plane that crashed in northern Greece carried 11.5 tons of weapons – including land mines – for Bangladesh. Phosphorus for Syria was allegedly also on board.
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All eight crew members were killed in the crash. Officials said the flight was operated by the Ukrainian company Meridian LTD.
Residents within two kilometers of the Antonov-12 crash site were warned to stay in their homes. This is because the force of the explosion may have also scattered dangerous and explosive parts of the weapons of war in the surrounding area.
#BREAKING: UR-CIC, an Antonov An-12TB cargo aircraft of Meridian Ltd from #Ukraine with flight No. #MEM3032 crashed near #Kavala in #Greece on its way from Nis to Amman! Locals filmed the moment of crash. It was burning when it hit the ground! Engine fire had spread to the wing👇 pic.twitter.com/LQNOEbz1Yd
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) July 16, 2022
The cause of the crash was the failure of one of the plane’s engines, according to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko.
The Ukrainian cargo plane was en route from Serbia to a stopover in Jordan when it crashed late Saturday near the city of Kavala, killing all eight people on board, according to media reports.
Videos from eyewitnesses show the plane on fire, creating a huge fireball as it crashed.
According to the BBC, Greek state television reported that the army, explosives experts, and Greek Atomic Energy Commission staff did not approach the crash site until it was deemed safe.
#BREAKING: Reported scene of Ukranian cargo plane crash in Kavala, Greece. Reports that the Antonov An-12BK lost an engine before crashing.
Unclear how many people were on-board and if the plane was carrying equipment.
https://t.co/NwaVslWzaC— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) July 16, 2022
“The (aerial) measurements have not revealed anything at the moment, but nevertheless, instability has been observed in the area,” Lieutenant General Marios Apostolidis of the Northern Greek Fire Brigade told reporters.
“In other words, heavy smoke and heat, as well as a white substance that we can’t detect, so a special team of the armed forces will have to inform us what it is and whether we can enter the field.”
https://twitter.com/ArmsWatch_/status/1548634677623283715
According to reports, the substance was phosphorus destined for Syria and was to be delivered to the war-torn country via Jordan. However, it is still unclear who the recipients were and for what purpose the phosphorus was to be used.