Troopers in hazmat fits looked for indicators of nuclear and chemical substances on the crash web site of a Ukrainian cargo airplane transporting practically a dozen tons of mortar shells and land mines.
The Antonov An-12 mild plane, which was transporting the weapons from Serbia to Bangladesh, had eight Ukrainian crew members onboard.
They have been all killed.
An official at Kyiv cargo operator Meridian instructed Reuters: ‘After all they did not survive this.’
Eyewitnesses filmed the fireball crash within the early hours in the present day, with explosions persevering with for 2 hours and the charred wreckage burning till morning.
Drone pictures from the scene confirmed particles from the bulking plane strewn in fields.
Serbia’s protection minister stated the airplane was carrying 11.5 tonnes of merchandise made by its protection trade and the customer was Bangladesh protection ministry.
Greek authorities couldn’t present any extra info on the plane’s cargo.
Greek troopers in biochemical safety gear survey the crash web site, the place mortar shells and land mines reportedly exploded
The skeleton of the Ukrainian plane is pictured this afternoon close to Kavala in northern Greece, which it crashed final evening
The hazmat suit-wearing troops attended the scene this afternoon hours after the cargo airplane fell, killing eight individuals
Smoking particles sits on the coronary heart of the crash web site, the place authorities have created a 400m radius and closed close by roads
Drone pictures taken this afternoon present the lengthy stretch the place the airplane fell exterior Kavala, northern Greece earlier in the present day
Pictures taken this morning present the charred particles nonetheless aflame hours after the airplane crashed
Troopers and biochemical weapons specialists have been pictured arriving on the scene this lunchtime to discover the crash web site
Photographs from in the present day present hunks of steel scattered across the discipline, with crew members’ situations nonetheless unknown. Ukrainian media has reportedly instructed all eight have been killed
Serbian defence minister Nebojsa Stefanovic added that the airplane’s cargo was owned by Serbian firm Valir, a commerce firm registered to carry out international commerce actions
A particular military unit arrived on the web site to seek for nuclear, organic and chemical substances
Cops monitor the closed roads surrounding the crash web site, which has reportedly emitted white mud into the air
A particular military unit arrived on the web site to seek for nuclear, organic and chemical substances at 1pm native time (10am GMT).
A lead firefighter instructed reporters that his crew ‘felt their lips burning’ on the web site, with white mud floating within the air.
‘We do not know what has been affecting us,’ hearth brigade coordinator Marios Apostolidis stated.
Serbian defence minister Nebojsa Stefanovic added that the airplane’s cargo was owned by Serbian firm Valir, a commerce firm registered to carry out international commerce actions of armament navy tools and different protection merchandise.
State TV ERT stated that the sign of the plane was misplaced quickly after the pilot requested an emergency touchdown from Greek aviation authorities because of an engine downside.
Beginner video footage confirmed the plane in flames descending quick earlier than hitting the bottom in what seemed to be an explosion.
State TV ERT stated that the sign of the plane was misplaced quickly after the pilot requested an emergency touchdown from Greek aviation authorities
Drone footage reveals the flaming physique of the airplane after the crash in Kavala, north Greece
A Ukrainian cargo plane which had eight individuals on board was already on hearth earlier than it crashed final evening close to town of Kavala in northern Greece , footage reveals. Pictured: Flames and smoke are seen on the space the place an Ukraine Antonov cargo plane has crashed within the Paleiochori space, west of Kavala
The Antonov An-12, owned by Meridian, exploded in a burst of flames whereas it was flying from Serbia to Jordan with ‘harmful supplies’ believed to be explosives onboard. Pictured: Ambulances are seen on the space the place an Ukraine Antonov cargo plane has crashed within the Paleiochori space, west of Kavala, north Greece final evening
A senior supply at Jordan’s civil aviation regulatory fee (CARC) denied earlier stories that the airplane was headed to Jordan.
The supply stated that its flight itinerary included a stopover in Jordan’s Queen Alia worldwide airport at 9:30 pm to refuel, state information company Petra reported on Sunday.
The broader space in Greece the place the plane crashed has been cordoned off since Saturday evening.
Residents close by have been suggested to maintain home windows and doorways shut and keep away from the realm of the incident.
The hearth service has cordoned off the realm at a radius of about 400m.
The mayor of the municipality of Paggaio, to which the 2 villages near the crash belong, closed close by roads.
Eye-witnesses stated the Antonov An-12 was on hearth and that they’d heard explosions, Athens Information Company reported.
A neighborhood man, from the mountainous area, Giorgos Archontopoulos, instructed state broadcaster ERT tv he had felt one thing was incorrect as quickly as he heard the plane’s engine.
‘At 10.45pm I used to be stunned by the sound of the engine of the plane,’ he stated. ‘I went exterior and noticed the engine on hearth.’
Locals, who reported seeing a fireball and a plume of smoke, and Greek media suppose the airplane was carrying explosives.
Ambulances are seen this morning on the space the place an Ukraine Antonov cargo plane has crashed within the Paleiochori space, west of Kavala
Pictured: Firefighters are seen close to the positioning of a airplane crash
State broadcaster ERT reported that military explosive specialists have been en path to the positioning, positioned on farmland shut to 2 villages which might be a part of the Paggaio municipality.
It additionally stated villagers are saying it was already in flames earlier than it crashed and ERT has been instructed its cargo ‘was harmful’.
Police have been asking journalists on the scene to put on masks, the report added.
‘You want to go away on your security. There may be an info that the plane was carrying ammunition’, one firefighter instructed reporters on the scene.
Filippos Anastasiadis, mayor of the close by city of Paggaio, instructed Open TV: ‘The plane crashed round two kilometres (one mile) away from an inhabited space.’
He additionally instructed AP: ‘We have been listening to explosions till a couple of minutes in the past. I am about 300 meters from the positioning of the crash.’
A complete of 15 firefighters and 7 engines have been deployed to place out the blaze that broke out after the crash with extra rescuers on their approach.
Firefighting autos are seen close to the positioning of a airplane crash, just a few miles away from town of Kavala, in northern Greece on Saturday
Flames are seen on the web site of a airplane crash, just a few miles away from town of Kavala, in northern Greece yesterday
An evening view taken yesterday of the positioning of a airplane crash, just a few miles away from town of Kavala
It was not clear what the plane’s cargo was however the particular catastrophe response unit was additionally investigating the scene.
‘We’re treating the cargo as harmful materials,’ stated a hearth brigade official.
The hearth service has cordoned off the realm and has been discovering it troublesome to strategy the scene.
The pilot managed to alert authorities about an issue in one of many airplane’s engines and he was given the selection of touchdown in both the Thessaloniki or Kavala airports.
He opted for Kavala, which was nearer, however the airplane crashed about 25 miles west of the airport, Greece’s Civil Aviation authority stated.
