[One person was killed and at least two others were taken to hospital after a cargo plane flying from Leipzig, Germany crashed outside Vilnius Airport in Lithuania, according to public broadcaster LRT. One crew member was found without any signs of life, two were rescued and taken to hospital, said Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the country’s National Crisis Management Center.
The incident happened at about 5:30 a.m. local time near Zirniu Street, south of the capital, an airport spokesperson confirmed to CNN Monday. The city’s special services are working at the scene and leading the rescue efforts, as well as crews from the Vilnius Airport Fire Service.
Due to “ongoing rescue work near Vilnius Airport”, departures for several aircraft have been delayed, but all scheduled flights are still taking off. The cargo plane, operated by SWIFT airline on behalf of DHL, narrowly missed hitting a house and crashed into a nearby courtyard, according to Vilnius mayor Valdas Benkunskas.
All 12 residents of the house survived. There are no reports of casualties on the ground and the pilot of the plane was recovered alive at the scene. Firefighters are still working to put out a fire at the scene, with a large plume of smoke visible from the surrounding area. This is a developing story and will be updated.
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