A military plane F-4 Phantom crashed this Saturday afternoon at a military base near Athens during the air show Athens Flying Week, leaving a toll of two pilots dead, according to the Greek news agency ANA.
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The circumstances of the accident remain undetermined. According to Ert, the pilots did not have time to activate the ejection system.
The fighter had just taken off when it suddenly lost altitude before crashing to the ground. Immediately afterwards, a strong explosion occurred in front of thousands of spectators who had attended the event.
After the impact, a fire department helicopter was deployed to extinguish the flames caused by the crash, as shown by images broadcast on television.
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The Minister of Defense, Nikos Dendias, was scheduled to attend the inauguration of the Thessaloniki International Fair, but canceled his official trip to go directly to the site of the accident.
The F-4 Phantom is a versatile American combat aircraft from the Cold War era. According to the Greek Air Force website, as of the day of the accident, 36 modernized units of this model were still in operation.
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