An Antonov cargo plane that crashed late on July 16 in northern Greece, was transporting 11.5 tons of Serbian weapons to Bangladesh, Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic has said.
All eight crew members on board the Antonov An-12 operated by a Ukrainian airline died in the accident near the city of Kavala, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported.
Stefanovic confirmed that the owner of the plane is a Ukrainian company, and that the weapons were being sent by private Serbian arms manufacturer Valir. He said the plane was carrying illuminating mortar bombs and mines, adding that the weapons shipment had been agreed with the Bangldeshi Defense Ministry "in accordance with international rules."
"Unfortunately some media have speculated that that the plane was carrying weapons destined for Ukraine but that is completely untrue," he said.
He also confirmed that all crew members had died in the crash.
"I think the crew were Ukrainian but I don't have any information about that. They were not Serbian," Stefanovic told reporters.
Denys Bohdanovytch, general director of Meridian, the Ukrainian cargo airline operating the plane, told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle the crew were all Ukrainian. He gave no information about the cargo.
The Ukrainian consul in Thessaloniki, Vadim Sabluk, visited the area on July 17.
Athens News Agency said he had given the authorities the identities of the eight crew members and said the plane had been flying to Bangladesh.
Earlier, the mayor of the affected community of Pangeo, Filippos Anastasiadis, said that the plane had been carrying "dangerous material," likely munitions.
State media reported poisonous fumes were in the air from 12 tons of "toxic material" on board.
According to media reports, the cargo aircraft was travelling from Serbia to Jordan on July 16 and had requested clearance to make an emergency landing at nearby Kavala airport, but did not manage to reach it.
Local residents reported seeing a fireball and hearing explosions for two hours after the crash.
The An-12, a Soviet-built turboprop aircraft, was operated by cargo carrier Meridian, according to state broadcaster ERT.
According to state-run TV, the army, explosives experts, and Greek Atomic Energy Commission staff will approach the area after it is deemed safe, as fears about the toxicity of the unknown cargo were forcing them to stay away.
As a precaution because of a strong smell emanating from the crash site, authorities told inhabitants of the two localities closest to the crash site to keep their windows shut all night, to not leave their homes, and to wear masks.
ERT reported that army and explosive experts were en route to the site.
The debris was said to be scattered across a radius of hundreds meters, and the area was cordoned off.
A large deployment of firefighters, ambulances, and police initially went to the area before retreating and ordering journalists and spectators to leave immediately.
A firefighter told ERT that they were waiting for special forces and that two colleagues had been taken to hospital with breathing difficulties.