Cargo plane from Leipzig crashes into residential building in Lithuania

what happened?

A cargo plane taking off from Leipzig on behalf of postal service provider DHL crashed near Vilnius Airport in the Lithuanian capital early this morning. At least one person died, BNS news agency quoted a spokesman for the rescue service as saying. There are a number of emergency services personnel on scene.

According to preliminary information from emergency services, emergency services were informed of the accident at 5:28 a.m. local time. According to preliminary information, there were four people on the plane. One person died and three others were injured and taken to hospital.

What's the reason?

The head of Lithuania's National Crisis Management Center said on the radio that the cause of the crash was being investigated whether it was related to “technical problems.” However, it's too early to say anything more precise.

According to him, the cargo plane crashed next to a residential building. Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said the machine “accidentally” missed the house and fell into the yard. Following the incident, the house caught fire and 12 residents were evacuated. A reporter from Radio Lithuania reported at the scene of the accident in the Lipkarnis area that many parts of the plane were thrown around. According to him, the area is not densely populated, with only a few houses.

Lithuania's police chief also said it would take some time to find the cause. It can take a full week to examine the crime scene, collect evidence, and collect information and items. “These answers are not coming so quickly,” Arunas Paulauskas said at a press conference this morning.

Paulauskas said the plane attempted to land but did not reach the runway. The accident was “likely caused by a technical error or human error.” At the same time, when asked whether it could be a terrorist attack, he said he would not rule out this scenario. “This is one of the versions of the crash that needs to be investigated and verified. We still have a lot of work to do.”

According to Lithuanian media reports, Lithuanian intelligence chief Darius Jauniskis said: “At the moment, based on what we know, it may be too early to link this incident to anything or give any attribution. Too early. “There is no preliminary information on this. He also said that the possibility of terrorism cannot be ruled out. Jauniskis also assured that they are also working with foreign partners.

How well do you know your passengers?

The deceased was a Spanish citizen. A representative of the police department told Lithuanian news agency Elta this morning.

Thick smoke was billowing from the accident scene.Image: trapezoid

The remaining passengers on the plane – a German, another Spaniard and a Lithuanian – were injured. Authorities initially did not provide any further information on the health of the injured. Police said there was no reliable information about the age of the occupants. A Spanish Swift Airlines plane crashed near Vilnius Airport in the Lithuanian capital early this morning. The plane crashed near a residential building, and the residents were sleeping. Emergency services were informed of the accident at 5:31 a.m. local time.

How much do you know about airplanes?

The head of DHL's Lithuanian subsidiary confirmed to Lithuanian Radio that the plane belonged to one of the company's contractors. According to the Internet platform “Flightradar24”, the aircraft was a Swiftair 737-400.

What did the witnesses say?

A woman living near the affected house reported on Lithuanian Radio that she was woken up by the noise early in the morning: “I heard the noise in my sleep and I looked out the window – everything was red and full of spark”. She immediately ran to see if anyone needed help. She was shocked: the whole thing was “terrible, horrible”.

One neighbor said he saw a flash in his yard early in the morning: “There was a flash. I didn't see the impact itself, but the flash was very bright and lit up the whole yard, about a kilometer away from me. And then it happened There was a fire and a lot of smoke.”

What is Germany doing?

German security services have also launched an investigation. According to the German security community, we are “in close contact with the relevant authorities at home and abroad to clarify this matter as soon as possible”.

Any warnings?

At the end of August, it was learned that German security authorities were warning about “unconventional incendiary devices” being sent by unidentified people through freight service providers. At that time, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) issued corresponding warnings to companies in the aviation and logistics sectors.

The warning message was linked in the security circle to an incident at DHL's Leipzig logistics center, the company's global hub. A package containing an incendiary device allegedly caught fire in July after being sent from the Baltic countries.

The word “Russia” does not appear in the BfV and BKA warning messages. Nonetheless, in the security sphere, a link to Russia's growing sabotage in Germany cannot be ruled out. (DAB/Sudan Development Authority/Department of Political Affairs)