Serbian plane loaded with munitions crashes west of Kavala

The operation to retrieve 8 bodies from the Antonov that crashed on Saturday night in Kavala was completed on Sunday night. The authorities will begin with the assistance of experts the analysis of all the findings from the fatal aircraft, in order to put together the "puzzle" of the accident.

From this morning, the investigations of the bomb disposal experts will begin. They will examine the area within a radius of 500 – 1,000 meters, in order to ensure that all the projectiles are removed from the scene of the air tragedy.

The process will take several days, while two safe passages have already been created to approach the area

Through Twitter, the Fire Department announced yesterday that the recovery operation of the bodies of the crew on the aircraft was completed, and the remains were transferred to the Komotini General Hospital.

At the same time, following a request from the National Coordination Center for Operations and Crisis Management (ESKEDIK), a vehicle was made available by the Armed Forces to transport the bodies from the accident area.

The authorities are looking for answers to the causes of the crash. 38 minutes elapsed from the moment the Antonov 12 entered Greek airspace until the moment it was lost from radar.

The commander of the Dry Landmine Clearing Battalion stated yesterday Sunday that an object believed to be the "black" box has also been found.

The Mine Clearing Battalion is at the site of the crash to search for and mark the shells, while the armed forces gave the "green light" for the operation, as it found that there are no dangerous substances (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and or Nuclear).

After the investigation and marking of the projectiles, the process of collection and removal or on-site neutralization will follow, depending on the judgment of the pyrotechnicians.

"No dangerous substances were detected at the crash site"
The press representative of the Fire Dept., fire chief, Giannis Artopaios, in an emergency briefing held yesterday Sunday at the National Coordination Center for Operations and Crisis Management in Marousi, stated that no dangerous substances were detected in the area where the aircraft crashed on Saturday, after the measurements that were made.

The Last 38 Minutes of the Fatal Flight - The Chronicle of Tragedy
The last moments of the Antonov aircraft that crashed in Kavala resulting in the loss of his life and the 8 members of the crew have become public.

In a relevant announcement issued by the Civil Aviation Service (CAA), more details are presented on the course of the fatal aircraft.

The Ukrainian-registered Antonov 12 aircraft took off from Nis airport in Serbia with a crew of eight and eleven and a half (11.5) tons of dangerous goods. According to the flight plan had been submitted to the competent Serbian authorities, the aircraft would carry out a cargo flight to Bangladesh (Dhaka) with stopovers in Jordan (Amman), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) and India (Ahmedabad).

According to the announcement of the Civil Aviation Service, the aircraft entered the Greek airspace at 22:09 (Saturday night) and in 38 minutes it was lost to air traffic radars. A little earlier the crew members had reported to air traffic controllers that they were experiencing a problem with engine four which had caught fire.

At 22:37 the plane informed the Athens-Macedonia Area Control Center (KEPATHM) that due to a problem (operational reasons) it would not continue to its final destination and that it would return to the departure airport.

At 22:42 flying east of Halkidiki it informed the air traffic controllers on the approach to Thessaloniki that it was having a problem with engine number four stating: May day fire in engine four. The CAA immediately declared a state of emergency by activating the relevant procedures provided for. At 22:45 the aircraft had a conversation with the Kavala control tower and informed that it was heading for an emergency landing. Landing permission was immediately given for Chrysoupolis airport in Kavala. At 22:47 the aircraft was lost from air traffic radars.

The Civil Aviation Service informed the National Coordination Center for Search and Rescue about the emergency situation and then about the loss of communication and the process of locating, searching and rescuing started immediately. At the same time, all relevant agencies (Fire Service, Greek Police, Civil Protection, Ministry of National Defense and local agencies) were mobilized for the loss of the plane's signal in the wider area of ​​Kavala.

The Air Accident Investigation and Safety Committee (EDAAP) has been in charge of the plane crash.

From the fall of the aircraft, which was completely destroyed, all 8 crew members lost their lives. As it became known on Sunday night, all 8 bodies were found.

At the same time, it became known that there is no danger for the residents of the area as no substance that could cause problems was found in the wreckage of the Antonov. It is recalled that iefimerida brought to light three photos from a Drone depicting the bodies of the victims and the ammunition.

The operation to locate and recover the bodies
During the second phase of the operation, specialized personnel of the Greek army and 30 firefighters participated to create safe passageways and transport bodies to a decontamination area. All Civil Protection forces as well as ELAS, local government and EKAV forces, as well as the helicopter of the single coordination center for search and rescue, contributed to the search for the identification and retrieval of the bodies.