Tragic DHL Cargo Plane Crash in Vilnius Claims One Life Amid Terrorism Concerns
ICARO Media Group
**DHL Cargo Plane Crashes in Vilnius, Claims One Life Amid Terrorism Concerns**
In a tragic incident early Monday, a DHL cargo plane en route from Leipzig, Germany, to Lithuania crashed into a building in Vilnius, resulting in the death of one out of the four crew members on board. A thorough investigation into the cause of the crash is now underway, with Lithuanian authorities considering the possibility of terrorism among other factors.
The crash occurred at a two-story building just 1.3 kilometers north of Vilnius Airport. Thankfully, the 13 residents of the building were evacuated safely. Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas confirmed that the three surviving crew members were hospitalized following the incident. On his Facebook page, Mayor Benkunskas announced the immediate declaration of a state of emergency in the area, emphasizing the urgent need to clean up and manage any hazardous materials resulting from the crash.
Mindaugas Pivorūnas, CEO of DHL Lithuania, stated that the cause of the Boeing 737-476(SF) accident remains unclear. Preliminary statements from Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre suggest that the investigation is focusing on potential "technical problems."
Echoing this sentiment, Lithuanian police chief Arūnas Paulauskas mentioned that the crash was "most likely due to a technical fault or human error," while also noting that the possibility of terrorism "cannot be ruled out." Paulauskas emphasized the complexity of the investigation, indicating it could take up to a week to gather all necessary evidence and come to a conclusive understanding of the incident.
This tragic event follows an earlier incident this year involving two self-igniting mechanisms shipped from Lithuania via DHL, which caused fires at a logistics center in Leipzig. Western security officials have previously speculated Russian involvement in that case, adding an additional layer of concern to the current investigation.