One killed in Vilnius cargo plane crash; Terrorism not ruled out as cause – UPDATED

A cargo plane traveling from Leipzig, Germany, crashed in Vilnius, Lithuania, resulting in one reported fatality.

A two-story private home is currently on fire, there are no reports of casualties on the ground. The pilot was recovered alive at the scene, News.Az reports, citing Lithuanian media.

"Two people were taken to hospital by medics, one of them was pronounced dead. These are the people who were on board the plane, according to initial data," said Saulius Raševskis, a representative of the Situation Coordination Unit of the Fire and Rescue Department (PAGD).

The plane, operated by a DHL contractor, was flying from Germany’s Leipzig to Lithuania.

Cargo plane crashes in #Vilnius, killing one

At 5:28 a.m. in Vilnius, near the airport, a #DHL (Swift Air) cargo plane (EC-MFE) en route from Leipzig crashed into a two-story residential house. pic.twitter.com/n1yripxJ8R

— News.Az (@news_az) November 25, 2024

Lithuania's police chief said on Monday that a terrorist attack could not be ruled out as the reason why a cargo plane crashed near the Vilnius airport earlier in the morning.

"This is one of the versions that needs to be investigated and verified. There is still much work ahead of us," Arūnas Paulauskas said at a press conference, according to media reports.

The crime scene investigation, evidence collection, and gathering of information and objects might take an entire week. Paulauskas said. "These answers will not come so quickly."

The head of the Lithuanian rescue service, Renatas Pozela, said at a press conference that the plane crashed a few kilometres from the airport, skidded several hundred metres, and its debris hit a residential building. The aircraft was a cargo plane flying for DHL that had taken off in Leipzig in eastern Germany.

The house had two floors, four flats, and three families lived there. All 12 residents are safe, Pozela said. The plane's fire has been contained and is no longer spreading.

The spokeswoman for the Lithuanian rescue service, speaking to the Lithuanian news agency Elta, said the plane was completely destroyed by the flames. Six fire engines and a water transport vehicle are at the scene, and a rescue coordination centre has been set up.

@lrytas_lt TV channel publishes the moment of the #planecrash in #Vilnius@DelfiLV also shares footage from the scene. According to the publication, the plane crashed near the house, and not on it, as previously reported. After that, 12 people were evacuated from residential… pic.twitter.com/wX45VDmKD6

— News.Az (@news_az) November 25, 2024

News.Az