The Ukrainian plane was transporting 11.5 tons of mortar ammunition to Bangladesh.
” alt=”Greece protested to Serbia and Ukraine over AN-12 cargo that crashed as a result of the plane crash” />
Greece on Monday submitted official complaints to Serbia and Ukraine regarding the military cargo plane that crashed on its territory during the forced landing, a source in the Greek Foreign Ministry said.
The Antonov An-12 plane, which crashed near the city of Kavala in northern Greece late on Saturday, killing all eight crew members, was carrying 11, 5 tons of Serbian-made mortar munitions in Bangladesh, which was the buyer.
The plane was operated by the Ukrainian cargo airline Meridian. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that eight crew members were citizens of Ukraine.
A Greek Foreign Ministry source said on Monday that Athens had formally complained to Belgrade and Kyiv that their did not warn in advance about the nature of the cargo.
The official reported that the ambassador of Greece in Belgrade was instructed to “immediately send a complaint to Serbia, emphasizing the need to notify the Greek authorities about the nature of the cargo in advance.” According to the official, a similar complaint was delivered to the ambassador of Ukraine in a few hours Athens.
There was initial confusion about the plane's cargo and its final destination.
It took off from the Serbian city of Nis on Saturday and was supposed to make a stop in Amman, Jordan.
< p>According to eyewitnesses, they saw “Antonov” burning and heard explosions. Videos posted on social media showed the plane engulfed in a giant ball of fire as it crashed to the ground late Saturday night.
Wreckage was scattered over a large area, an AFP photographer said, and the crash site surrounded by fields, was visible from the air.
Explosive ordnance disposal specialists worked for a second day on Monday to defuse the most common ordnance at the site.
Local residents are reporting respiratory irritation after the accident.< /p>
The authorities have forbidden residents to go to the nearby fields until the debris and unexploded ammunition are removed.
