DHL cargo plane crashes in Lithuania and crashes into a house, killing Spanish crew member

Lithuanian Ministry of Emergency Situations employees and police officers stand near the site where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, November 25, 2024. (Mindaugas Kulbis/AP)

VILNIUS, Lithuania — A DHL cargo plane crashed on approach to an airport in the Lithuanian capital Monday morning, crashing into a house and killing one of the Spanish crew members but leaving no one on the ground injured. The reason is being investigated.

A surveillance video showed the plane descending normally as it approached the airport before sunrise, then exploding into a large fireball behind a building. The moment of impact could not be seen in the video.

Lithuanian officials acknowledged that they would investigate whether Russia played a suspected role in other sabotage incidents, but stressed that there was no evidence yet to suggest this.

“Without a doubt, we cannot rule out the terrorism version,” said Lithuanian intelligence chief Darius Jauniškis.

Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence of carrying out sabotage against their own country, including arson attacks, disinformation and placing incendiary devices on cargo planes, in retaliation for their support for Ukraine. In July, one fire ignited at a courier center in Germany and the other at a warehouse in England.

Polish prosecutors said last month that packages containing camouflaged explosives were sent to EU countries and the UK via courier companies to “test the transfer channel for such packages”, and that they were ultimately sent to the US and Canada.

“We see that Russia is becoming more aggressive,” Jauniškis said. “But for now we can’t make any attributions or blame anyone because there is no information about it.”

The Lithuanian airport authority determined that the plane was a DHL cargo plane coming from Leipzig, Germany, a major shipping hub, and one of the injured was stated to be a German citizen.

The German transport ministry said experts from the German Federal Aircraft Accident Investigation Office would be sent to Lithuania to assist in the investigation. Officials there also warned against trying to reach conclusions without examining all the evidence.

“There has been no statement yet about the cause of the accident. Mehmet Atta, spokesman for the German Ministry of Internal Affairs, said at a briefing in Berlin, “Whether the crash of the cargo plane was caused by an accident or another reason is the subject of the current investigation.”

The head of Lithuania’s fire service said the plane skidded several hundred meters and photographs showed smoke rising from a damaged structure in an area full of barren trees.

“Thankfully, despite the accident occurring in a residential area, there was no loss of life among the local population,” Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said after meeting with rescue workers. he said.

Rescue teams cordoned off the area and parts of the plane, painted DHL’s trademark yellow, could be seen amid the debris scattered around the crash site.

The cargo plane was carrying four people when it crashed at 5.30am local time. One Spanish national was declared dead and three other crew members, Spanish, German and Lithuanian nationals, were injured, Lithuanian police communications officer Ramūnas Matonis said in an email.

The DHL plane was operated by Swiftair, a Madrid-based contractor. In an emailed comment, DHL said the plane “made a forced landing” about half a mile from Vilnius airport, adding: “The cause of the crash remains unknown and the investigation is currently ongoing.” Swiftair did not comment.

“The residential infrastructure around the house was burning and the house was slightly damaged, but we managed to evacuate people,” said Fire and Rescue Department chief Renatas Požėla.

An eyewitness who gave her name only as Svaja ran to the window and heard an explosion, followed by lightning and black smoke, as a light as bright as the red sun filled her room.

“I saw a fireball,” he said. “My first thought is that a world (war) has begun and it is time to grab the documents and run somewhere, to the shelter, to the basement.”

Lithuanian defense minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas said there were “absolutely no external factors that could damage the aircraft.”

“We can see this clearly,” Kasčiūnas said. “However, it will be necessary to interview the surviving crew members to find out what happened inside the plane. And of course the black box. “This will take some time.”

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 analyzed by the AP showed the plane turned north of the airport, lined up for landing and then crashed just under 1 mile from the runway.

At the time of the accident, the weather at the airport was near freezing, there were clouds before sunrise, and winds were around 28 mph.

The Boeing 737 was 31 years old, which is not unusual for cargo flights but is considered by experts to be an older airframe.

The Prime Minister warned against speculation, saying investigators needed time to do their job.

“Responsible institutions are working diligently,” Šimonytė said. “I urge everyone to have confidence in the ability of the investigating authorities to conduct a thorough and professional investigation within an optimal timeframe. Only these investigations will reveal the true reasons for the incident; “Speculation and guesswork will not help reveal the truth.”

This story corrects Renatas Požėla’s title.

Gera reported from Warsaw, Poland, and Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Kirsten Grieshaber contributed from Berlin.