Ukraine's An-12 cargo plane crashes in Greece

A Ukrainian An-12 transport aircraft crashed on a commercial flight from Serbia to Jordan on the evening of July 16, near the northern Greek city of Kavala, reported KAVALA POST and the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation ERT.

The Civil Aviation Authority said the pilot had issued a distress call. According to early information, one of its four engines caught fire. The plane turned around to make an emergency landing at Kavala airport, but failed to reach it.

The plane was carrying a 12-ton cargo, which is classified as dangerous. This cargo may not necessarily be ammunition, but could also be batteries — anything that can cause a fire. Eyewitnesses said that during the fall, the plane crashed into a corn field. However, no one was hurt on the ground.

According to KAVALA POST, there were three people on board the An-12. At the same time, ERT notes that there were eight people in the plane, and no signs of life were found after the fall near the fuselage, which was completely burned. Rescuers are working at the scene.

The head of the municipality of Pangaio, Filippos Anastasiadis, said that the pilot of the plane performed a heroic act, because he took control of the engine engulfed in fire and directed the plane away from the residential area.

Anastasiadis said that on the morning of July 17, the military should arrive at the site with special groups of pyrotechnicians who will try to approach the site of the crash.

According to the Serbian publication Politika, this aircraft was registered in Ukraine and belonged to an American company. It was flying from the Serbian city of Nis.