A cargo plane carrying 11 tonnes of weapons, including landmines, to Bangladesh crashed in northern Greece, according to a BBC report. 

People living within two kilometres of the site where the Antonov-12 came down have been warned to stay indoors.

The aircraft which had taken off from Serbia with the arms consignment, crashed late on Saturday close to the city of Kavala, killing all eight people on board. Continuous explosions were reported after the plane crashed.

The pilot is reported to have requested an emergency landing at Kavala airport in Greece, due to an engine problem shortly after take-off, but was unable to reach the runway.

On Sunday morning, drones were being used to survey the site of the wreckage out of caution.

Greek state-run TV reported the army, explosives experts and Greek Atomic Energy Commission staff would not approach the site until it was deemed safe.

Serbia's Defence Minister Nebojša Stefanovic said that the plane was transporting almost 11 tonnes (11,000 kg) of Serbian-made weapons to Bangladesh.

A director from the arms dealer Valir told the BBC there were landmines on board.

However, a spokesman for Bangladesh's military public relations office told the BBC's Bengali service that the plane contained mortar shells bought from Serbia for the training of army and border guards.

The plane, which was due to make stops in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and India before reaching its final destination of Dhaka operated by a Ukrainian cargo airline. The crew are understood to have been Ukrainian.