A DHL cargo plane has crashed near a residential complex near the airport in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, local media reported, killing the pilot and injuring three others.
The plane, a Boeing 757, crashed around 5:30 a.m. near a two-story building that then caught fire, LRT Radio reported. The 12 residents were evacuated in time. “It was fortunate that the plane did not hit the house itself, but the garden,” fire department spokesman Renat Požėla said.
Four people were on the plane: two pilots and two crew members. “We have one confirmed death: one of the pilots died,” said police representative Ramūnas Matonis. The three others were injured and taken to hospital.
“Terrorism not ruled out”
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but according to Vilmantas Vitkauskas, the head of the National Crisis Management Center, it was an accident. However, when asked at a press conference whether the downing of the plane could have been an act of terrorism, Police Commissioner General Arūnas Paulauskas claimed that “it cannot be ruled out yet.” “That is one of the avenues we are investigating,” he said. “I think inspecting the crime scene and collecting evidence could take the whole week. Answers will not come soon.”
In late August, German security services warned of the shipment of “unconventional incendiary devices” by unknown persons via freight transport. The warning is linked to an incident at DHL’s logistics centre in Leipzig, a global hub. In July, a package from the Baltic States that contained an incendiary device is said to have caught fire there. There is currently no information on a connection between the crash and possible sabotage.
