DHL cargo plane crashes near Lithuania airport

A DHL cargo plane crashed early Monday morning while landing at Vilnius Airport in Lithuania, killing one person onboard. The crash also injured three others, with at least one in critical condition.

Debris from the crash damaged a nearby house, prompting an evacuation, but no one on the ground was harmed. The wreckage caught fire, and firefighters worked to put out the flames.

The Boeing 737-400, operated by Swiftair for DHL, had departed Leipzig, Germany, earlier that night. It crashed at 3:30 AM GMT, about one kilometer from the airport. Lithuanian officials said there were no signs of sabotage so far.

However, German authorities are investigating as a precaution, especially after incidents earlier this year involving fires caused by incendiary devices in parcels at a DHL warehouse in Leipzig.

Lithuanian counter-intelligence chief Darius Jauniskis said terrorism could not be ruled out, but there was no evidence yet to support such claims. DHL confirmed the crash as a “forced landing” but did not provide further details.

Officials stated that the pilots had not reported any issues during their radio communications before the crash. The cause of the crash remains unknown and will require analysis of the plane’s black boxes.

A local resident, Kotryna Ciupailaite, who saw the crash, said the plane flew low over her car with sparks or flames coming from its right side before it hit the ground. She captured a video showing a large fire at the crash site.

Swiftair said the crash occurred in a residential area and has set up a support line for the families of those affected. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.