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DHL plane crash in Lithuania leaves authorities searching for answers

DHL plane crash in Lithuania leaves authorities searching for answers

The United States National Transportation Safety Board is leading a team of board investigators, including Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration, to Lithuania to assist with the Lithuanian Department of Justice Transportation and Accident investigation.

Lithuanian counterintelligence chief Darius Jauniskis told reporters: “We cannot rule out the possibility of terrorism… But since we do not have such information at the moment, we cannot make references or point.”

A senior European intelligence official added that nothing had been ruled out.

DHL said in a statement that the plane coming from Leipzig “made a forced landing” about 1 kilometer from VNO airport and that the cause of the accident is still unknown.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian officials said that there were no signs of emergency from the pilots during the radio connection with the plane.

“In the recording of the conversation between the pilots and the tower, the pilots did not mention any extraordinary events to the tower until the last second,” said Marius Baranauskas, head of the Lithuanian National Aviation Authority.

“We need to examine the black boxes to find out what happened on the plane.”

Kotryna Ciupailaite, who lives in Vilnius, said the plane flew low over her car on her way to work.

“The right wing of the plane turned downwards before impact, as if it was trying to turn. Before hitting the ground, something bright like a spark or flame was coming out from the right side of the plane,” Ciupailaite said. .

He shared with Reuters a video taken from his vehicle’s windshield shortly after the crash, showing the massive fire beyond a row of trees.

In the video, the woman was heard screaming, “Oh my God.”

Swiftair said the plane crashed in a residential area near Vilnius airport and that it had set up a call center to help relatives of those affected.