One person was killed Search for cause of cargo plane crash in Lithuania continues
The crash of a cargo plane continues to puzzle the authorities in Lithuania. Why did the plane from Germany crash outside Vilnius airport?
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- After the crash of a cargo plane in Lithuania, the search for the cause of the accident continues.
- According to the authorities, however, it is still too early to find any concrete answers.
- So far, there are no indications that sabotage or a terrorist attack led to the crash of the Swift Air plane, which was traveling from Leipzig to Vilnius on behalf of DHL.
- What exactly happened is still unclear.
- It has not been ruled out that Russia could have had something to do with it.
Following the crash of a cargo plane in Lithuania, the search for the cause of the accident continues. However, according to the authorities, it is still too early to find any concrete answers. So far, there are no indications that sabotage or a terrorist attack led to the crash of the Swift Air plane, which was traveling from Leipzig to Vilnius on behalf of DHL. What exactly happened is still unclear. It has not been ruled out that Russia could have had something to do with it.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said on ZDF's "heute journal" when asked whether Russia was behind the crash: "We are taking a close look, we can't say at the moment". He added: "It could be so." Forms of so-called hybrid warfare can currently also be observed in Germany. "That's why this also needs to be investigated in detail." However, a guilty party would only be named if this could be proven in a comprehensible manner.
Questioning of surviving crew members
Four people were on board the plane, which crashed into the ground in a residential area near the airport shortly before the planned landing for reasons as yet unknown. One of the crew members died in the crash early Monday morning, three others - including a German - are receiving medical treatment in hospital. According to media reports, the condition of at least one crew member is serious.
Investigators are now hoping that the survivors will shed light on the cause of the crash. According to police chief Arunas Paulauskas, it has already been possible to speak to one of the injured people in hospital. According to him, there were no signs of unusual activity on board or inside the plane, he said on Lithuanian television in the evening. It seemed as if the flight had been routine and then there had been an impact on the ground.
The DHL colors can be seen on a piece of debris from the crashed plane.
Image: Mindaugas Kulbis/AP
Debris from the cargo plane that crashed just outside Vilnius airport.
Image: Mindaugas Kulbis/AP
Emergency services at the wreckage of the crashed plane.
Image: Mindaugas Kulbis/AP
The crashed plane had taken off from the Leipzig cargo hub.
Image: dpa
The DHL colors can be seen on a piece of debris from the crashed plane.
Image: Mindaugas Kulbis/AP
Debris from the cargo plane that crashed just outside Vilnius airport.
Image: Mindaugas Kulbis/AP
Emergency services at the wreckage of the crashed plane.
Image: Mindaugas Kulbis/AP
The crashed plane had taken off from the Leipzig cargo hub.
Image: dpa
Search for flight recorder and help from German investigators
According to Paulauskas, the search for the flight recorder, which has not yet been recovered and is said to be in the remains of the completely destroyed plane, is also to continue. The so-called black box can help to clarify the cause of the accident. The plane crashed a few kilometers from the airport. The inspection of the airport's approach systems by Polish air traffic control, which was carried out after the crash as part of a previously planned routine inspection, could also provide further information.
According to Lithuanian sources, experts from abroad will also be involved in the investigation. Four investigators from Germany and two from Spain are to arrive in Lithuania. In addition, 12 people from the USA are to support the search for the cause of the accident - including five from the aircraft manufacturer Boeing. According to Swift Air, the plane involved in the accident was a Boeing 737-400, the wreckage of which, according to the authorities, had skidded several hundred meters after the crash and damaged a residential building. No one was injured.
Baerbock demands full clarification
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for a full investigation into the crash and said that the authorities in both countries were currently investigating "in all directions". In addition to a technical accident, she did not rule out the possibility of a deliberately caused crash. In Europe, there have been several "hybrid attacks" on individuals or infrastructure in recent times, said the Green politician, also referring to the damage to two data cables in the Baltic Sea a week ago.
According to DHL, there have so far been no indications of suspicious packages on board the plane, and according to Minister Boris Pistorius, the Federal Ministry of Defense has also had no knowledge of a possible explosive device. The SPD politician called for increased sensitivity regarding certain freight shipments. "At the same time, we also know that there is probably no one hundred percent security in this field. But the gaps that exist and that can be identified must be closed," said the minister, adding: "Both civil aviation and the military know this."
The plane crash raises questions and fears in particular because German security authorities had warned of "unconventional incendiary devices" being sent by unknown persons via freight service providers at the end of August. At the time, the warning was linked in security circles to an incident at the DHL logistics center in Leipzig, which acts as the company's global hub. In July, a parcel sent from the Baltic States containing an incendiary device is said to have caught fire there. Based on the investigation, arrests were also made in Lithuania, which were confirmed by the General Prosecutor's Office in Vilnius earlier this month.
dpa