PALAIOHORI, Greece (AP) — Experts were examining the site of a plane crash in northern Greece Sunday to determine if any dangerous chemicals or explosive payloads remained.
When they finish their work later in the day, they will clear the way for forensic experts to collect the crew’s bodies, authorities said.
The An-12 cargo plane crashed in fields between two villages late Saturday. Its fuselage dragged along the ground for about 170 meters before disintegrating, authorities said.
Local residents reported seeing a fireball and hearing explosions two hours after the crash. A plume of white smoke was still billowing from the front of the plane Sunday morning.
Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic told a news conference on Sunday that all eight crew members had died. He said the plane was carrying 11.5 tons of Serbian mortar ammunition to Bangladesh, which is the buyer. It had taken off from the Serbian city of Nis and was due to make a stopover in Amman, Jordan.
The plane was operated by the Ukrainian cargo carrier Meridian, and the Ukrainian consul in Thessaloniki, who arrived at the crash site, told local authorities that the entire crew was Ukrainian.
“These were illumination mortar mines and training (mines). … This flight had all the necessary permits in accordance with international regulations,” Stefanovic said.
The plane crashed shortly before 11 p.m., about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Kavala International Airport. Minutes earlier, the plane’s pilot told air traffic controllers that he had a problem with one of his engines and had to make an emergency landing. He was targeted for Kavala but never got there.
The aircraft is a Soviet-era four-engine turboprop freighter.
Drone footage shows that only small fragments remain of the plane. Firefighters who rushed to the scene overnight were unable to reach the crash site due to smoke and a strong odor that they feared could be toxic.
Nearby residents were told to keep their windows closed all night, stay out of their homes and wear masks. Authorities said they did not know if any hazardous chemicals, including those contained in the batteries, were on board the plane.
The fire department has cordoned off the area in a radius of about 400 meters.
The mayor of the municipality of Pagayo, to which the two villages near the accident belong, banned the movement of cars on nearby roads.
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Nelas reported from Athens, Greece and Getz from Belgrade, Serbia.
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