Ukrainian cargo plane crashes over Greece: Residents were ‘hearing explosions’ for hours

A cargo plane operated by a Ukrainian carrier has crashed in Northern Greece, officials said.

Greece’s Civil Aviation authorities said residents of Kavala, Greece heard loud explosions and saw a fireball in the sky after an Antonov cargo plane heading from Serbia to Jordan went down on Saturday.

The Greek aviation authorities just before the crash they made contact with the pilot, who reported a problem in one of the plane’s engines and requested an emergency landing.

Authorities instructed the pilot to land at either the Thessaloniki or Kavala airports.

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The officials said the pilot chose Kavala, as it was closer, but then lost communication.

The plane ultimately crashed about 25 miles west of the airport.

Media outlets have differed on the number of passengers on the plane, which was carrying mostly explosives, but at least eight people were believed to be on board at the time of the crash.

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“We were hearing explosions until a few minutes ago,” Paggaio Mayor Filippos Anastassiadis told the Associated Press. “I am about 300 meters from the site of the crash.”

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Local authorities have cautioned residents to remain in their homes and close their windows after a strong and unusual odor was detected after the crash. The advisory came as authorities were not immediately aware if the plane was carrying any chemicals or batteries.

Explosions were heard coming from the crash site for two hours after the crash.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.