Cargo plane with eight on board crashes near northern Greek city of Kavala

A cargo plane with eight people on board crashed near the city of Kavala in northern Greece late on Saturday (July 16), the fire brigade and state TV said.

State TV ERT reported that the aircraft was an Antonov An-12 owned by a Ukrainian company, which was flying from Serbia to Jordan. The pilot had requested an emergency landing due to an engine problem but the aircraft’s signal was lost.

The fire brigade could not confirm the type of aircraft but said there were initial reports that eight people were on board.

Ambulances are seen at the crash site of an Antonov An-12 cargo plane owned by a Ukrainian company, near Kavala, Greece, July 16, 2022. Laskaris Tsotsas/Eurokinissi via REUTERS

In a statement it said it had deployed 15 firefighters and seven engines to put out the blaze that broke out after the crash. More rescuers were on their way.
Police cordoned off the crash site, which is near the village of Paleohori in Kavala.

It was not clear what the aircraft’s cargo was but the special disaster response unit was also investigating the scene.
“We are treating the cargo as dangerous material,” said a fire brigade official.
Photographs showed flames rising from the crash site.