A DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital on Monday morning, killing at least one person.
The plane crashed shortly before landing at Vilnius airport around 5:30 a.m. local time. He was from Leipzig, Germany.
One crew member was killed, while the pilot and three other crew members survived, according to CNN. A total of 12 people inside the house were rescued.
Two people were taken to hospital after the accident, and one of them was later pronounced dead, according to Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT.
News week has contacted DHL Group for comment.
Mindaugas Kulbis/AP
Flight tracking data showed the plane crashed about a mile from the runway, according to FlightRadar24.
The country’s fire chief said the plane skidded a few hundred meters and photos showed smoke rising from a damaged structure in an area of bare trees.
“It fell a few kilometers before the airport, it skidded a few hundred meters, its debris somewhat caught a residential house,” said Renatas Požėla, head of the fire and rescue service.
“The residential infrastructure around the house caught fire and the house was slightly damaged, but we managed to evacuate people.”
DHL cargo plane crashed into two-story building in Vilnius, Lithuania – media.
There would be 4 people on board. Details are still being clarified.
We have previously reported attempted Russian terrorist attacks with “arson” packages on this postal service. pic.twitter.com/8GPLZKrN6p
— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) November 25, 2024
Arūnas Paulauskas, Lithuanian police commissioner general, said the cause of the accident was not yet known and authorities were investigating.
He said investigators were looking into various possible causes, such as technical failures and human errors, and were not ruling out the possibility of a terrorist act.
“This is one of the versions that must be studied and verified,” he said.
The Lithuanian Airport Authority wrote on
“Municipal services are currently on site, as well as a fire engine and a command team from Vilnius Airport. Airport operations are not disrupted at this time.”
The weather at the airport was frigid, with clouds before sunrise and winds around 18 mph, according to the Associated Press.
The plane was a 31-year-old Boeing 737, which is an older plane, but not unusual for cargo flights.
The DHL plane was operated by Swiftair, a company based in Madrid. A company representative had no immediate comment on the incident, according to the AP.
