Ukrainian Plane Carrying Serbian Munitions Bound for Bangladesh Crashes in Greece

ATHENS — A Ukrainian cargo plane carrying 11.5 tons of Serbian-made weapons destined for Bangladesh crashed in northern Greece late Saturday, killing eight Ukrainian crew members and setting off a sprawling investigation to determine if the hazardous material being transported posed a threat to the local population, state and local officials said.

The plane, an Antonov An-12BK, was owned by the Ukrainian cargo carrier, Meridian, but the incident did not appear to be connected to the ongoing war in Ukraine, according to Serbian and Ukrainian officials.

The cargo plane was on its way from Serbia to Jordan — the first of several planned stops, according to flight records — when its pilot contacted Greek authorities before midnight on Saturday reporting engine problems and requested permission to make an emergency landing, according to an official with the Greek Civil Aviation Authority, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The plane crashed at around 11 p.m. local time in a cornfield approximately 40 miles west of the city of Kavala, the official said.

A spokesman for Greece’s national fire service, Yiannis Artopios, said firefighters have found two bodies and are seeking six others.

https://tnewstimes.com/2022/07/17/world/ukrainian-plane-carrying-serbian-munitions-bound-for-bangladesh-crashes-in-greece/