On Monday morning, 25 November, a DHL cargo plane crashed as it came in to land at Lithuania’s Vilnius airport, killing one person in what Germany’s foreign minister later said could be an accident or a hybrid attack in “volatile times”.
Three people onboard were injured and one of them sustained critical injuries. Flames and smoke engulfed the wreckage as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze. A surveillance footage captured the plane descending normally before a large explosion occurred behind a building, though the exact moment of impact was obscured. The moment of impact could not be seen in the video.
Lithuanian officials said there was no evidence of sabotage so far, although Germany is investigating multiple fires caused by incendiary devices hidden inside parcels at a Leipzig warehouse for delivery by DHL earlier this year. German officials were also examining Monday’s tragedy.
The Chief of Lithuanian intelligence said, “Without a doubt, we cannot rule out the terrorism version.”
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Western security experts believe Russian intelligence is carrying out sabotage against their countries in punishment for their backing for Ukraine, including arson attacks, disinformation, and the placement of incendiary devices in cargo flights. In July, one caught fire in a German courier hub and another in an English warehouse.
Last month, Polish authorities stated that cargo containing camouflaged explosives was shipped via cargo companies to EU countries and Britain to “test the transfer channel for such parcels” that were eventually targeted for the United States and Canada.
The German transportation ministry stated that experts from the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Inquiry would be deployed to Lithuania to assist with the inquiry. Officials there also warned against drawing judgements before all of the evidence has been reviewed.
“No statements can yet be made about the cause of the accident.
Whether it was an accident or whether another cause led to the crash of the cargo plane is the subject of the current investigation,” German Interior Ministry spokesperson Mehmet Atta said at a briefing in Berlin.
The chief of Lithuania’s firefighting department stated that the jet skidded a few hundred meters, and images showed flames coming from a damaged structure in a barren forest.
“Thankfully, despite the crash occurring in a residential area, no lives have been lost among the local population,” Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said after meeting with rescue officials.
Rescue workers sealed off the area, and fragments of the plane in DHL’s trademark yellow could be seen amid wreckage scattered across the crash site.
The DHL plane crash in Vilnius is a tragic event under investigation, with its cause yet to be determined. Authorities continue to prioritize safety and security in uncovering the facts.
