A Ukrainian Plane carrying explosives crashed in Greece on Saturday. The aircraft, which took off from Serbia for Jordan, crashed near the city of Kavala in northern Greece.
The Antonov cargo plane operated by a Ukraine-based airline had eight people on board. So far, it’s not confirmed whether they survived the crash or not.
The pilot detected a problem in one of the plane’s engines, which started malfunctioning mid-air. He informed officials about it and was given two choices.
The first was to land at Thessaloniki airport while the second was to land at Kavala airport. The pilot opted for the Kavala one as it was closer.
Locals reported seeing a fireball and a plume of smoke. The explosions have sparked speculation among locals and some Greek media the plane was carrying explosives. State broadcaster ERT reported that army explosive experts were en route to the site, located on farmland close to two villages that are part of the Paggaio municipality, according to the Associated Press.
Local officials have claimed that they heard explosions for more than minutes. “We were hearing explosions until a few minutes ago. I am about 300 meters from the site of the crash,” Filippos Anastassiadis, mayor of the municipality of Paggaio, told the AP.
More to follow