1 Dead, 3 Injured After DHL Cargo Jet Crashes in Lithuania

Mar. 15, 2025

A cargo jet crashed in Vilnius, Lithuania on Nov. 25, 2024.Photo:Lithuania Fire and Rescue Service/Anadolu via Getty

Lithuania Fire and Rescue Service/Anadolu via Getty

One person has died and three people have been injured after a cargo jet crashed in Lithuania.

On Monday, Nov. 25, a Swiftair Boeing 737-400 operating on behalf of DHL “crashed in a residential area short of the runway while attempting to land in Vilnius” after departing from Leipzig, Germany, live air traffic site Flightradar24 postedon X(formerly known as Twitter).

The aircraft crashed at 5:30 a.m. local time, Ramūnas Matonis — who is the head of communications for the Lithuanian police — tells PEOPLE in a statement. Matonis also said that a Spanish citizen had died in the crash, while three people (from Spain, Germany and Lithuania) were injured.

“The circumstances of the incident are being investigated,” Matonis added.

A cargo jet crashed in Vilnius, Lithuania on Nov. 25, 2024.PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via Getty

PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via Getty

DHL confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that one of its aircraft had “made a forced landing about one kilometer from VNO Airport.”

“There were a total of four people on board and our thoughts are with them and their relatives. The cause of the accident is still unknown, and an investigation is already underway,” a spokesperson said in the statement.

According to theAssociated Press, the plane “skidded into a house” after the crash.

Lithuania’s prime minister, Ingrida Šimonytė, held a meeting following the crash and said there had been no victims in the residential area where the plane hit. According to local newspaperLietuvos Rytas, 12 residents were evacuated from a two-story house.

“The most important thing is that despite the fact that the incident happened in a residential area, victims of people living there were avoided,” the prime minister said in a translated message on the Government of the Republic of Lithuania’swebsite.

Fire and rescue chief Renatas Požėla said of the crash, “Residential infrastructure around the house was on fire, and the house was slightly damaged, but we managed to evacuate people,” per the AP.

According toReuters, a DHL spokesperson said that “the aircraft [carried] regular parcels. We do not have any information that any of them were suspicious.”

A cargo jet crashed in Vilnius, Lithuania in the early hours of the morning on Nov. 25, 2024.PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via Getty

The country’s prime minister, Šimonytė, added of the incident on Monday, “Vilnius City Municipality takes care of people, we will help it as much as it is needed. The services are doing their job. I strongly request you to trust the abilities of the investigating authorities to conduct the investigation professionally and within the optimal time.”

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“Only these investigations will answer the questions about the real causes of the incident, speculations and conjectures will not really help to determine the truth,” Šimonytė said.

“Flight operations are continuing in Vilnius while authorities respond to the crash,” Flightradar24 postedon X, adding that the aircraft was 31 years old.

According to the AP, the “weather at the airport was around freezing at the time of the crash” and winds had been around 18 mph.

source: people.com