An F-4 Phantom military aircraft crashed during an airshow at a base outside Athens on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of both pilots, according to the Greek news agency ANA. The incident has raised concerns about safety protocols during airshows and the operational status of military aircraft in Greece.
The aircraft had just taken off when it suddenly lost altitude and crashed, said a journalist from public broadcaster ERT who was at the scene. Several firefighting aircraft were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the blaze caused by the crash, ERT reported. The airshow was cancelled and Defence Minister Nikos Dendias called off a trip to Thessaloniki’s International Fair to visit the scene of the accident. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The circumstances of the crash were unclear, but the pilots did not eject from the aircraft, local media said. There was an explosion immediately after the crash, which happened before thousands of visitors watching the annual “Athens Flying Week”.
