A DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near Lithuania’s capital on Monday morning, killing at least one person.
The plane crashed shortly before landing at Vilnius airport at around 5.30 a.m. local time. It was travelling from Leipzig, Germany.
A crew member was killed, while the pilot and three other crew members survived, according to CNN. A total of 12 people inside the home were rescued.
Two people were taken to hospital after the crash, with one later pronounced dead, according to Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT.
Newsweek has contacted DHL Group for comment.
Flight-tracking data showed the plane crashed around one mile short of the runway, according to FlightRadar24.
The head of the country’s firefighting service said that the plane skidded for a few hundred meters, and photos showed smoke rising from a damaged structure in an area of barren trees.
“It fell a few kilometers before the airport, it just skidded for a few hundred meters, its debris somewhat caught a residential house,” said Renatas Požėla, chief of the Fire and Rescue Department.
“Residential infrastructure around the house was on fire, and the house was slightly damaged, but we managed to evacuate people.”
A DHL cargo plane crashed into a two-story building in Vilnius, Lithuania – media.
It is reported that there were 4 people on board. Details are still being clarified.
We have already reported on attempted russian terrorist attacks with “arson” packages on this postal service. pic.twitter.com/8GPLZKrN6p
— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) November 25, 2024
Arūnas Paulauskas, the General Commissioner of the Lithuanian Police, said that the cause of the accident was not yet known and that the authorities were investigating.
He said that investigators were considering various possible causes, such technical failure and human error, and have not ruled out the possibility of a terrorist act.
“This is one of the versions that must be studied and checked,” he said.
The Lithuanian airport authority wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “A DHL cargo plane flying from Leipzig, Germany, to Vilnius Airport crashed in Liepkalnis at around 5:30 a.m.
“City services are currently on-site, along with a fire truck and a command team from Vilnius Airport. Airport operations are not disrupted at this time.”
Weather at the airport was around freezing, with clouds before sunrise and winds of around 18 mph, according to the Associated Press.
The plane was a 31-year-old Boeing 737, which is an older aircraft, but not unusual for cargo flights.
The DHL aircraft was operated by Swiftair, a Madrid-based contractor. A representative from the company did not have an immediate comment on the incident, according to the AP.
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