VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — A DHL cargo level collapsed connected attack to an airdrome successful Lithuania’s superior and skidded into a adjacent location Monday morning, leaving astatine slightest 1 personification dead, officials said. The origin of nan mishap was not instantly known.
The caput of nan country’s firefighting work said that nan level skidded for a fewer 100 meters (yards), and photos showed fume rising from a damaged building successful an area of barren trees.
“Residential infrastructure astir nan location was connected fire, and nan location was somewhat damaged, but we managed to evacuate people,” said Renatas Požėla, main of nan Fire and Rescue Department.
Lithuanian’s nationalist broadcaster LRT, quoting an emergency official, said 2 group had been taken to nan infirmary aft nan crash, and 1 was later pronounced dead.
The personification who was killed was a personnel of nan formation unit but not a pilot. Firefighters freed 2 pilots from nan cockpit, 1 of whom was much earnestly injured than nan other, according to nan General Commissioner of nan Lithuanian Police, Arūnas Paulauskas.
Paulauskas told a news convention that nan causes of nan mishap were not yet known. Authorities were investigating and Paulauskas said officers went to nan infirmary to speak pinch nan unit members being treated to stitchery information.
The General Commissioner besides said investigators are considering various imaginable causes, specified method nonaccomplishment and quality error, and person not ruled retired nan anticipation of a violent act.
“This is 1 of nan versions that must beryllium studied and checked,” Paulauskas said, according to LRT.
The Lithuanian airdrome authority identified nan craft arsenic a DHL cargo level arriving from Leipzig, Germany, which is simply a awesome freight hub. It posted connected nan societal level X that metropolis services including a occurrence motortruck were connected site.
Fragments of nan level successful nan company’s trademark yellowish colour were visible successful nan wreckage.
Flight-tracking information from FlightRadar24, analyzed by The Associated Press, showed nan craft made a move to nan northbound of nan airport, lining up for landing, earlier crashing a small much than 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) short of nan runway.
Authorities did not instantly connection a origin for nan crash, which happened conscionable earlier 5:30 a.m section time. Weather astatine nan airdrome was astir freezing temperature, pinch clouds earlier sunrise and winds astir 30 kph (18 mph).
DHL Group, headquartered successful Bonn, Germany, did not instantly return a telephone for comment.
The DHL craft was operated by Swiftair, a Madrid-based contractor. A typical from nan institution said it not person immoderate contiguous comment.
The Boeing 737 was 31 years old, which is considered by experts to beryllium an older airframe, though that’s not different for cargo flights.
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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.