An-12 Freighter Carrying Landmines Crashes in Greece

The Antonov airplane belonged to a Ukrainian cargo airline.

Eric Kulisch

Monday, July 18, 2022 at 08:46 AM ET

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A Meridian An-12 cargo plane at the Kaunas, Lithuania, airport Nov. 7, 2021. [File photo: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A Ukrainian-operated, Soviet-built cargo plane crashed in northern Greece, killing all eight Ukrainian crew members.
The aircraft was transporting 12.5 tons of Serbian-made munitions, including landmines and mortar shells, destined for Bangladesh.
The pilot reported engine problems before the crash, and Greek authorities warned residents due to the hazardous nature of the cargo.

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A Soviet-built propeller cargo airplane operated by a small Ukrainian airline crashed in northern Greece late Saturday with a 12.5-ton load of Serbian munitions destined for Bangladesh, according to officials and media accounts. All eight crew members on board the Meridian cargo airline were killed.

The Antonov An-12, a four-engine turboprop, was heading from Niš, Serbia, to Amman, Jordan, for a refueling stop, when it went down about 40 kilometers (21.6 nm) west of the Kavala airport (LGKV) after the pilot radioed about problems with one of the engines, according to FlightRadar24.