A large cargo aircraft crashed and exploded in a ball of flames near Paleochori Kavalas in northern Greece, The Guardian reported.
Eye-witnesses said the Antonov An-12 plane was on fire and that they had heard explosions as it flew over the area on Saturday night, Athens News Agency reported.
A local man, Giorgos Archontopoulos, told state broadcaster ERT television he had felt something was wrong as soon as he heard the aircraft’s engine. “At 22.45 I was surprised by the sound of the engine ... I went outside and saw the engine on fire.”
Local officials said seven fire engines had been deployed to the crash site but that they could not approach because of the ongoing explosions. One of the mayor’s deputies told ERT that blasts were heard for two hours after the crash.
Greek media reported there were eight people on the plane and it was carrying about 11 tonnes of “dangerous materials”, mostly explosives. But local officials said they had no specific information on the cargo and provided varying numbers of people on board.
RHM/PR