Cargo Plane Crashes In Greece: Report

A cargo aircraft crashed late Saturday near Paleochori Kavalas in northern Greece, the fire brigade said.

Eye-witnesses said the aircraft was on fire and that they had heard explosions, Athens News Agency reported.

Local officials said 15 firefighters and seven fire engines had been deployed to the crash site but that they could not approach because of the ongoing explosions.

According to media reports, the cargo aircraft was travelling from Serbia to Jordan and had requested clearance to make an emergency landing at nearby Kavala airport, but did not manage to reach it.

State-run broadcaster ERT television reported that it was an Ukrainian Antonov aircraft, which according to villagers was already in flames before it crashed.

There is no official information about the number of people on board the aircraft, which was still burning according to live footage broadcast on state television. But media reports said the plane had a crew of three.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)