Kyiv confirms Ukrainian cargo plane crash in Greece
Kyiv, July 17, 2022 (Xinhua) Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko on Sunday confirmed reports that a Ukrainian cargo plane crashed last night in northern Greece, killing all eight crew members.
Nikolenko said on Facebook that the crew of the Antonov An-12 plane are all from Ukraine, adding that the plane was on a commercial flight on the Serbia-Jordan-Bangladesh route, and was carrying dangerous loads.
Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said at a press conference that the accident occurred near the Greek city of Kavala.
Stefanovic added that the Ukrainian cargo plane was carrying about 11 tons of weapons, mainly land mines, to Bangladesh when it crashed on Saturday evening.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman explained that the preliminary investigation found a failure of one of the plane’s engines, which is most likely the reason behind the accident.
He noted that Ukraine set up an operations headquarters at the Ukrainian consulate in Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, after the accident, adding that representatives from the Ukrainian Consulate had already arrived at the scene of the accident.