The cargo aircraft was carrying Serbian-made munitions to Bangladesh when it crashed, killing everyone on board
A Ukrainian cargo plane loaded with 11.5 tons of Serbian-made munitions crashed in Kavala in northern Greece en route to Bangladesh on Sunday, Serbian authorities have confirmed.
The Antonov An-12 plane, operated by Ukrainian airline Meridian, had reported engine trouble and requested an emergency landing not long before witnesses say it exploded in a corn field outside the city at around midnight local time.
✈️ 💥 Ukrainian Antonov Transport plane crashed in Northern Greece.https://t.co/Gp1akW5oEi
— VonZapplin (@VZapplin) July 17, 2022
The plane took off from Nis Airport in Serbia around 8:40pm local time. Greek media confirmed that aviation authorities had lost the aircraft’s signal shortly after the pilot requested to make an emergency landing at Kavala Airport, citing an engine problem.
Meridian General Director Denys Bogdanovych dismissed speculation that the weapons had been destined for either side of the conflict in Ukraine, telling Reuters that “this is not related to Ukraine or Russia.” The cargo was owned by Serbian arms trader Valir, according to Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic. The airline and Serbian officials confirmed all eight members of the crew died in the accident.
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A Jordanian source denied earlier rumors
