Ukrainian plane possibly transporting ammunition crashes

The crew reported that one of the plane’s four engines has caught fire. The emergency landing was granted promptly, but the plane began to rapidly lose altitude while approaching the airport. (Pexels photo)

ATHENS – A Ukrainian An-12 plane, possibly transporting ammunition, crashed in Greece late Saturday, an official with the Greek civil protection authority told the ERT TV channel on Sunday.

“Firefighters cordoned off the area around the crashed plane. Flames have noticeably subsided by now. At the moment, the military is sending a special task force to the site to determine whether the fire can be extinguished. So far, we were told to stay away from the plane, as there might be ammunition on board,” the official said.

The Open TV channel said that a special drone would be launched above the area to search for any survivors.

Journalists covering the disaster were told to wear protective masks and an unspecified “peculiar odor” is felt in the area.

Flight MEM3032 (Meridian Air Cargo), owned by a Ukrainian company, was performing a commercial flight from Serbia to Jordan when its pilots requested an emergency landing in the northern Greek city of Kavala.

The crew reported that one of the plane’s four engines has caught fire. The emergency landing was granted promptly, but the plane began to rapidly lose altitude while approaching the airport.

It hit a power line and fell about 40 kilometers away from the Kavala airport. According to preliminary information, the aircraft had eight crew members on board. (TASS)