A Ukrainian cargo plane with eight crew members on board crashed tonight near the Greek town of Paleochori (Kavala), northeastern Greece, As reported by local authorities to the news agency ANA-MPA.
The agency is collecting this from sources close to the Civil Aviation Authority The pilot of the wrecked plane, an Antonov An-12, reported an engine failure who requested permission for an emergency landing, but was unable to reach any airport because one of his propellers caught fire, and crashed shortly after.
The damaged aircraft was Ukrainian, and refers to ANA-MPA, a payload covering the route from Serbia to Jordan. Eight crew members were traveling in the machine and at the moment its condition is unknown as the cargo it was transporting.
The agency stated that a large number of rescuers and ambulances from the National Emergency Center (ICAP) and police officers were present at the scene, and that the area was engulfed in darkness due to the power outage.
And the Athens News Agency reported that eyewitnesses said that the plane caught fire and that they heard explosions.
Giorgos Archontopoulos, a local man, told state television ERT that he sensed something was wrong as soon as he heard the plane’s engine. “At 10:45 pm, I was surprised by the sound of the plane’s engine,” he said. “I went down and saw the engine burning.”
State TV channel ERT reported that the plane’s payload “It was dangerous.” The report added that the police had asked journalists at the scene to wear masks.
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