A Ukrainian cargo plane crashed in the north of Greece. The crew consisted of eight citizens of Ukraine.

This was announced by Oleh Nikolenko, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

“At night in the north of Greece, the Ukrainian Аn-12 cargo plane crashed, carrying dangerous cargo on the Serbia – Jordan – Bangladesh route. The crew consisted of eight citizens of Ukraine,” he said.

He also noted that the failure of one of the engines is considered to be the preliminary cause of the accident.

In addition, an operational headquarters was created on the basis of the Consulate of Ukraine in Thessaloniki.

“Ukrainian consuls have already arrived at the crash site and are interacting with rescuers and law enforcement officers in Greece to clarify the circumstances of the incident,” Oleh Nikolenko said.

Rescue and firefighting operations are ongoing.

During the night of July 16, near the Greek city of Kavala, the Аn-12 transport plane crashed. There were dangerous goods on board.

Nebojša Stefanović, Serbian Defense Minister stated that the Ukrainian Аn-12 was transporting defense cargo to Bangladesh. The plane took off from Serbia and had all the necessary permits. The Minister shared that the customer for these defense products was the Ministry of Defense of Bangladesh, adding that the Ukrainian company is only the owner of the aircraft, and the goods carried on the plane belonged to the Serbian company Valir.