Move FM Global News

KAVALA, Greece – According to Serbian authorities and Meridian airline, a Ukrainian cargo plane carrying munitions from Serbia to Bangladesh crashed late Saturday near the city of Kavala in northern Greece, killing all eight crew members on board.

Later that day, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of Bangladesh stated that there were no weapons on the plane, which it claimed was transporting mortar shells for training purposes for the Bangladesh Army and Border Guard Bangladesh.

The mortar shells were shipped from Serbia under a DGDP (Directorate General of Defense Purchase) procurement contract, and the shipment was insured, according to the ISPR.

Meanwhile, Meridian, the Ukrainian airline that operated the plane, stated that the crash was not “related to Ukraine or Russia.”

Drone footage from the scene showed the smoldering wreckage of the Antonov An-12, a Soviet-built turboprop plane, strewn across fields. According to Greek authorities, there were eight crew members on board, and as per the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, they were all Ukrainian citizens.

Meridian, who operated the plane, stated that all crew members died in the crash.