Cargo Plane Crashes Into House, Bursts Into Flame In Lithuania; One Killed | Watch

Last Updated:November 25, 2024, 16:42 IST

The DHL cargo plane crashed near Vilnius Airport, skidded towards a house and burst into flames, shows footage of the incident.

Authorities at the site of the cargo plane crash in Lithuania. (AP)

In a tragic accident, a crew member was killed after a cargo plane crashed near Vilnius Airport in Lithuania on Monday, skidding into a house and bursting into flames. Three others aboard the flight, including the pilot, managed to survive while 12 people in the house were safely evacuated, authorities said.

The Boeing 737-400 plane was operating under the German logistics company DHL and the deceased national was confirmed by Lithuanian police to be a Spanish national and member of the flight crew, according to DW News. The other occupants of the plane were a German, a Lithuanian and another Spanish national.

The incident happened at around 5:30 am (local time) near Zirniu Street located at the south of the capital, an airport spokesperson told CNN. The spokesperson said departures for several aircraft had been delayed due to “ongoing rescue work near Vilnius Airport". The fire was brought under control by 7:33 am.

The plane was flying from Leipzig, Germany and was about to make a landing at the Vilnius Airport, when it crashed a few kilometres from the runway. Footage showed the plane skidding on the ground for several hundred metres before it crashed into a house. Moments later, a large fireball could be seen rising from behind the building, followed by a plume of black smoke.

Authorities Probing Plane Crash

Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said the plane narrowly missed the house “by chance" and crashed into the courtyard, reported local media. Lithuania’s police chief Arunas Paulauskas did not rule out terrorism as a motive. “This is one of the versions that needs to be investigated and verified. There is still much work ahead of us," he said at a press conference.

“We can confirm that today, at approximately 4:30 am CET, a Swiftair aircraft, operated by a service partner on behalf of DHL, performed an emergency landing about one kilometre from VNO Airport [Vilnius, Lithuania] while en route from LEJ Airport [Leipzig, Germany] to VNO Airport," the German company DHL said in a statement.

Lithuania’s Crisis Management Centre also said the police and prosecutors are investigating the incident, but mentioned that there was nothing to suggest that an explosion took place. “At the moment we don’t have any data that there was an explosion," a spokesperson told Reuters.

A spokesperson for DHL Lithuania told Reuters that the company has opened an investigation, adding: “We do not have any information that any of the parcels onboard the crashed cargo plane were suspicious." Boeing also said it was working on gathering more information and stood “ready to provide any support."

Notably, Germany is investigating several fires, caused by incendiary devices hidden inside parcels at DHL’s Leipzig logistics centre earlier this year. Similar incidents were reported in Poland and the UK, sparking fears of a Russian plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the United States.

(with agency inputs)

Vilnius, Lithuania

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