DHL cargo plane crashes in Lithuania, killing 1, local officials say

The plane crashed at about 5:30 a.m., Lithuanian Airports said in a statement.

November 25, 2024, 1:23 AM

LONDON and BELGRADE -- A DHL cargo plane crashed near the Lithuanian capital early on Monday, killing one of four people onboard, local officials said.

The plane, which had been traveling from Leipzig, Germany, crashed in Liepkalnis, on the outskirts of the capital, Vilnius, the Lithuanian airport authority said in a statement posted on social media. The flight had been expected to land at Vilnius Airport, officials said.

Lithuanian Emergency Ministry employees work near the place where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024.
Mindaugas Kulbis/AP

"City services are currently on-site, along with a fire truck and a command team from Vilnius Airport," the short statement said. "Airport operations are not disrupted at this time."

Emergency responders were notified at 5:28 a.m. that the plane had crashed into a building, the Vilnius Fire and Rescue Department said.

Smoke billows following a DHL cargo plane crash in Vilnius, Lithuania, Nov. 25, 2024.
Andrius Sytas/Reuters

As emergency crews worked in the area near Žirnių Street, which the airport identified as the crash site, departures were delayed at Vilnius Airport, according to a statement. One incoming flight was diverted to Riga, Latvia, officials said. Air traffic resumed by about 7:20 a.m., the statement said.

ABC News has contacted DHL, which is based in Bonn, Germany, for comment.

ABC News' Jessica Gorman and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.