Cargo plane crash near Vilnius Airport: one dead, two injured, flights delayed

A cargo plane flying from Leipzig, Germany, crashed near Vilnius Airport in Lithuania, killing one person and injuring two others, who were taken to the hospital, a Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports, citing Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT.

Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Center, confirmed, “One crew member died, and two were rescued and hospitalized.”

The crash occurred around 5:30 a.m. local time near Zirniu Street, south of Vilnius. Emergency services, including Vilnius Airport’s fire crews, responded to the scene.

The airport spokesperson stated that rescue efforts caused delays for some flights, but all scheduled departures were proceeding.

The plane, operated by SWIFT airline for DHL, narrowly missed a house and crashed into a courtyard. Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas confirmed all 12 residents of the house were unharmed, and the pilot survived.

Firefighters worked to extinguish flames as smoke rose from the crash site. No casualties were reported on the ground.