An Antonov cargo plane belonging to a Ukrainian airline crashed on Saturday evening near the town of Kavalla in northern Greece. 

There were eight people on board, based on information from firefighters and Greek state television. It is not yet clear what cargo the plane had, while authorities began investigating the scene. 

"We are treating the cargo as a dangerous material," said an official of the fire brigade. Meanwhile, there are doubts that it is about 12 tons of ammunition. 

According to this news agency, Greek civil aviation authorities announced that the plane was flying from Serbia to Jordan. It is also said that the plane belonged to the Meridian company. According to some reports, the pilot managed to inform the authorities about a problem in one of the plane's engines. He was then asked to land at Thessaloniki or Kavalla airport, media reports.

After taking off for Kavalla, the plane crashed about 40 kilometers west of the city's airport, the Greek Civil Aviation Authority said. The plane crash was also confirmed by Flightradar.24 – a system that tracks aircraft in real time. 

"A Meridian An-12BK cargo plane crashed near Kavala in Greece, en route from Nis to Amman," Flightradar.24 said. The explosions caused speculation among residents and some Greek media that the plane was carrying explosives. State broadcaster ERT reported that military explosives experts are on their way to the scene.