Palekhori (Greece): A Ukrainian airline’s cargo plane crashed on Saturday near the city of Kavala in northern Greece. The authorities gave this information. Local residents heard explosions for two hours after the accident and saw flames rising. Greek civil aviation authorities said the plane was going from Serbia to Jordan. This turboprop aircraft built by the Soviets was operated by the Meridian company.
Greek media said the plane was carrying eight people and was carrying 12 tons of “dangerous material”, mostly explosives. However, local officials said they had no exact information about what was being carried on the plane.
As a precautionary measure due to the strong odor emanating from the accident site, people living in two nearby areas have been asked to keep their windows closed throughout the night, not to step out of the house, and wear masks. Authorities said they did not know whether the plane contained dangerous chemicals.
Greece’s civil aviation authorities said the pilot reported a problem with one of the plane’s engines and was given the option of landing at Thessaloniki or Kavala airports and decided to land at Kavala, stating that he would have to land in an emergency. The plane has to land.
Contact with the aircraft was lost shortly thereafter. The plane crashed about 40 km west of the airport. Locals reported seeing fireballs and plumes of smoke before the accident. The fire service has cordoned off an area of 400 meters around the spot.
