By: Lucas Chi

A plane heading to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, crashed in Greece and was found carrying 11 tons (11000 Kilograms) of weapons and explosives. All citizens within two kilometers were advised to stay inside so they wouldn’t be exposed to the dangerous smoke.

The plane was flying from Serbia to Jordan a with a few other stops before reaching its final destination in Bangladesh. It crashed Saturday night at around 10:45 local time due to an engine problem. After requesting an emergency landing, it missed the runway and slammed into the ground. It happened in Kavala, Greece, and 8 people died.

Lieutenant General Marios Apostolidis of the Northern Greece Fire Brigade told reporters that “The measurements at the moment have not shown anything but nonetheless instability in the field was observed. In other words, intense smoke and heat, as well as a white substance that we do not recognize, so a special armed forces team has to inform us what it is and whether we can enter the field.”

Aimilia Tsaptanova was a witness to the crash. “It was full of smoke, it had a noise I can’t describe and it went over the mountain,” she said.

Serbia’s Defence Minister Nebojša Stefanovic said they were transporting almost 11 tonnes of weapons to Bangladesh.

The plane was meant to stop at Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and India before reaching Bangladesh. The plane’s crew was also Ukrainian, which might mean that they were delivering weapons with the hope of making allies.

Because of the dangerous smoke and fire, drones were used to capture what they saw inside. They reported that there were mortar shells, mines, and many more. Others said that there were landmines. With these dangerous weapons, they could have been used for attack.

Sources: bbc.com