Thessaloniki, Greece –
An Antonov cargo plane operated by a Ukraine-based airline crashed on Saturday near the northern Greek city of Kavala, authorities said.
Greek civil aviation authorities said the flight was traveling from Serbia to Jordan, but could not confirm how many people were on board or what the plane’s cargo was. It was operated by Meridian, a cargo carrier.
The pilot was able to alert authorities to a problem with one of the plane’s engines and was given the choice to land at Thessaloniki airport or Kavala. He chose Kavala, which was closer, but the plane crashed about 40 kilometers west of the airport, the Greek Civil Aviation Authority said.
“We heard explosions until a few minutes ago,” Philippos Anastasiadis, the mayor of Pagaio municipality, told The Associated Press. “I’m about 300 meters from the crash site.”
Locals reported seeing a fireball and a cloud of smoke. The explosions sparked speculation among local residents and some Greek media that the plane was carrying explosives.
State broadcaster ERT said military explosives experts traveled to the site, located in farmland near two villages that are part of Pagayo municipality.
The fire department has cordoned off the area.
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