Lithuania’s Vilnius (AP) At least one crew member was killed Monday morning when a DHL cargo jet crashed on approach to an airfield in the capital of Lithuania and skidded into a nearby house, according to officials. The accident’s cause is being looked into.
Photographs showed flames coming from a damaged structure in an area of sparse forests, and the nation’s fire chief reported that the jet skidded a few hundred meters (yards).
According to a nearby company’s security footage, the plane descended normally as it got closer to the airport before exploding behind a building into a massive ball of fire. It was impossible to see the precise moment of impact.
Parts of the plane, painted in the company’s signature yellow, were strewn all over the crash site as rescue personnel cordoned off the area.
We were able to rescue individuals despite the house being somewhat damaged and the residential infrastructure surrounding it being on fire, according to Fire and Rescue Department chief Renatas Po jos.
Lithuanian Emergency Ministry employees work near the place where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Image courtesy of Mindaugas Kulbis/Associated Press
When a light as dazzling as a red sun filled her room, one witness—who only identified herself as Svaja—ran to a window. She then heard an explosion, followed by flashes and black smoke.
She said, “I saw a fireball.” My initial reaction is that a world (war) has broken out, and it’s time to gather the necessary paperwork and flee to a cellar or other safe haven.
According to an emergency official quoted by Lithuania’s state broadcaster LRT, one person was declared deceased and two others were rushed to the hospital following the collision.
According to officials, the deceased was not a pilot but rather a member of the flight crew. According to Lithuanian Police General Commissioner Arnas Paulauskas, firefighters liberated two pilots from the cockpit, one of whom had more severe injuries.
At a press conference, Paulauskas stated that the cause of the collision was being looked at. According to him, officers interviewed the crew members in the hospital.
Additionally, authorities have not ruled out the possibility of a terrorist act and were taking into account a number of possible explanations, including human mistake and technical malfunction.
According to LRT, Paulauskas stated that this is one of the versions that has to be examined and verified.
The aircraft was recognized by the Lithuanian airport authorities as a DHL cargo plane coming from Leipzig, Germany, a significant freight hub.
The Associated Press examined FlightRadar24’s flight-tracking data, which revealed that the plane turned north of the airport, preparing to land, before collapsing little over 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) short of the runway.
The collision occurred shortly before 5:30 a.m. The airport saw near-freezing temperatures, overcast before to dawn, and winds of about 30 kph (18 mph).
A call for comment from the Bonn, Germany-based DHL Group was not immediately answered.
Swiftair, a contractor located in Madrid, flew the DHL plane. According to a corporate spokeswoman, the company does not currently have any comments.
Although it’s not uncommon for cargo flights, experts consider the 31-year-old Boeing 737 to be an older airframe.
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The title of Renatas Po la is corrected in this narrative.
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From Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Gambrell reported.
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