DHL Cargo Plane Crash in Lithuania: One Dead, Several Injured
A DHL cargo plane tragically crashed into a house while attempting to land at Vilnius Airport in Lithuania, resulting in one fatality and injuries to three individuals onboard, according to officials. The flight, operated by Swiftair on behalf of DHL, had departed from Leipzig, Germany, shortly before the accident occurred at approximately 03:30 GMT, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the national crisis management center.
Remarkably, all residents in the affected house survived the incident. The spokesperson further noted that there are currently no indications suggesting that an explosion occurred prior to the crash, stating, "At the moment, we don't have any data that there was an explosion."
The aircraft involved was identified as a Boeing 737-400. Following the collision, police reported that 12 individuals were evacuated from the impacted residence, ensuring their safety amid the chaos. As per rescue services, the plane struck the ground and skidded for at least 100 meters before crashing into the structure.
Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing, led by officials from the national crisis management center. Firefighters were deployed to the scene around 05:30 GMT, seen dousing a smoking building located 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometers) north of the airport runway. A significant presence of police and ambulance personnel was noted in the vicinity, with major roads cordoned off as first responders worked at the site.
The DHL flight had taken off from Leipzig at 02:08 GMT. This incident occurs amid heightened scrutiny in Germany, where authorities are investigating several fires caused by incendiary devices concealed within parcels at a warehouse in Leipzig earlier this year. The country's prosecutor general revealed this ongoing investigation in October. Additionally, British counterterrorism police have stated they are looking into an earlier warehouse fire in July that was reportedly sparked by a package igniting, collaborating with other European law enforcement officials to explore potential connections to similar incidents across the region.
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