Dylan Bettencourt
A Ukrainian cargo plane carrying military weapons to Bangladesh crashed in Greece on Saturday night, killing all eight people who were on board.
Firefighters on the scene have claimed that the dust at the crash scene stung their lips and have begun affecting them, concerning medical experts.
A brigade told reporters on Sunday morning that the firefighters said they “felt their lips burning” amidst the white dust floating in the air.
“We don’t know what has been affecting us,” fire brigade coordinator Marios Apostolidis said.
The plane was flying from Serbia to Bangladesh when it ran into trouble over Greece.
Reports indicate that the signal to the plane was lost after the pilot requested an emergency landing in Greece due to an engine problem, according to ERT.
Drone images showed the ruins of the Antonov An-12 aeroplane across a large field.
Greek authorities revealed there were eight Ukrainian crew members on board along with the nation’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
Serbia’s Defence Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic confirmed that none of the members on board survived the crash.
The defence minister said the plane had 11.5 tonnes of products on board manufactured by its defence industry with the buyer being the Bangladesh Defence Ministry.
Greek authorities could not confirm what cargo was on board but it did dispatch its disaster response unit to investigate the incident.
Stefanovic said that the cargo included illuminating mortar shells and training shells.
The defence minister said that the plane was owned by Serbian company Valir, a company registered to trade military equipment.
Initial reports suggested the plane was on its way to Jordan, which the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission denied.
Residents in the nearby area of the crash have been urged to keep their windows and doors shut to keep the dangerous fumes and dust out of their homes.
Image source: @Reuters
