A DHL cargo plane flying from Germany to Lithuania crashed near Vilnius Airport early Monday morning, resulting in the death of one crew member and injuries to three others. Firefighters confirmed the crash occurred just a few kilometers from the airport.
Renatas Pozela, head of the firefighting and emergency services unit, stated, “The plane was due to land at Vilnius airport and crashed a few kilometres away,” adding that one person in the four-member crew died.
The crash also caused a house to catch fire, though the circumstances surrounding the fire are unclear. Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Centre, said, “All the people inside the house had been evacuated.”
DHL confirmed the plane was one of their cargo aircraft. Ausra Rutkauskien, a spokesperson for DHL, said the plane belonged to the company.
The Boeing 737-400, operated by Swiftair on behalf of DHL, was en route from Leipzig, Germany. It crashed around 3:30 a.m. GMT while attempting its final approach to Vilnius Airport.
While the crash resulted in a fatality and injuries to the crew, there were no casualties on the ground, despite the aircraft sliding into a residential building. The plane split into pieces and skidded over 100 meters (110 yards) before colliding with the house.
A spokesperson for Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center confirmed that there was no explosion prior to the crash, stating, “At the moment, we don’t have any data that there was an explosion.”
Lithuanian rescue services reported that 12 residents were evacuated from the house, and all were unharmed.
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The cause of the crash is still under investigation, with authorities not ruling out foul play. Darius Jauniskis, the counter-intelligence chief, stated, “We cannot reject the possibility of terrorism. But at the moment, we can’t make attributions or point fingers, because we don’t have such information.”
Police and prosecutors are leading the investigation into the crash, which temporarily disrupted operations at Vilnius Airport. However, flights have since resumed.
The tragedy has prompted widespread attention as authorities work to determine the cause of the crash and ensure the safety of the surrounding area.
