The possible consequences of dangerous cargo have again been highlighted following last weekend’s airplane crash in mainland Greece involving a load of mostly landmines, resulting in authorities issuing a toxic fume warning for people living in the Nestos region.
This after an Antonov An-12 turboprop suffered engine failure, falling some 40 kilometres south of Kavala Airport, killing all eight of its Ukrainian crew.
The 50-year-old freighter, owned by a small outfit from Ukraine, was carrying about 12.5 tonnes of Serbian munitions destined for Bangladesh when it started experiencing engine failure late on Saturday evening.
Bound for a refuelling stop in Amman, Jordan, after taking off from Niš, Serbia, the plane radioed that it was experiencing mechanical failure.
Eyewitness reports said it was on fire at the time it went down.
