By Katie Davis
A PLANE carrying “dangerous materials” burst into flames before crashing in a huge fireball explosion on a mountainside in Greece.
The aircraft – operated by a Ukraine-based air carrier – had eight crew members on board when it came down near the northern Greek city of Kavala.
A cargo plane carrying weapons to Ukraine has crashed in Greece[/caption]
The plane came down near Kavala, northern Greece on Saturday night[/caption]
A massive emergency response was triggered[/caption]
The pilot had requested an emergency landing at Kavala International Airport due to a problem with one of the four engines – but its signal was lost.
He never made it and the aircraft smashed to the ground about 25 miles west of the airport.
Video footage uploaded on ertnews.gr showed the aircraft in flames descending fast before hitting the ground in what appeared to be an explosion.
People close to the crash site told local media how they saw a fireball and heard a series of explosions after the crash.
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The plane – a Soviet-era four-engine turboprop cargo carrier – had set off from the Serbian city of Nis en route to Jordan’s capital Amman when it crashed shortly before 11pm local time.
Greek media reports that the plane was carrying 12 tons of “dangerous materials”, mostly explosives.
The fire service said it deployed 15 firefighters and seven engines to put out the blaze that broke out after the crash, although they were prevented from reaching the site due to an intense smell from the smoke which they feared was toxic.
Nearby residents were told to keep their windows shut overnight, remain in their homes and wear masks.
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A 400-metre-radius cordon remains in place around the site while the fire service remains on the scene.
Experts are combing the wreckage site today for clues into exactly what the plane was carrying and what caused it to burst into flames.
Authorities say they do not know if the plane contained dangerous chemicals on board, including those stored in batteries.
A team of explosives experts are on the scene, assisted by officials from Greece’s Atomic Energy Commission.
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Drone footage shows small fragments of the plane scattered across fields, and a plume of smoke still rising from the nose of the aircraft on Sunday morning.
As it plummeted to the ground, the plane cut through power cables – causing a general power outage in the surrounding area.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation[/caption]
Debris from the Antonov cargo plane was scattered across the Greek countryside[/caption]
Category: News, World News, Plane crashes and air disasters
