A DHL cargo plane crashed into a house while approaching Lithuania’s Vilnius airport early Monday, killing one person and injuring three crew members, according to officials.
The flight, operated by SWIFT airline on behalf of DHL, had departed from Leipzig, Germany, before the accident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. GMT, stated a representative of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre.
The spokesperson clarified that there was no evidence of an explosion before the crash.
“At this time, we have no information suggesting an explosion,” he confirmed.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-400, according to an airport spokesperson. Police informed the press that 12 people were safely evacuated from the house struck by the plane.
Rescue teams revealed that the plane slid about 100 meters (110 yards) after hitting the ground before colliding with the building.
The head of the National Crisis Management Centre confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
By 5:30 a.m. GMT, firefighters were seen spraying water on a smoking structure located approximately 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) north of the airport runway. Police and ambulances surrounded the area, and several nearby streets were blocked off.
According to flight tracking service Flightradar24, the flight departed Leipzig at 2:08 a.m. GMT.
In related news, German authorities have been investigating fires linked to incendiary devices found in parcels at a Leipzig warehouse earlier this year. In October, Germany’s prosecutor general announced the investigation, and British counter-terrorism police later confirmed they were probing a similar incident involving a package fire in July. Authorities are working with other European agencies to find possible connections between these events.
