1 killed as cargo plane crashes near airport in Lithuania

The plane, which had been traveling from Leipzig, Germany and expected to land at Vilnius Airport crashed a few kilometres away from the runway in Liepkalnis, the Lithuanian airport authority said in a statement posted on social media.

The statement said that airport operations have not been disrupted and that city services are currently on-site, "along with a fire truck and a command team from Vilnius Airport."

The DHL cargo plane had crashed into a residential building and emergency responders were notified at 5:28 am (local time) the Vilnius Fire and Rescue Department said.

One incoming flight was diverted to Riga, Latvia, officials said as cited by ABC News. Air traffic resumed by about 7:20 am, the statement said.

CNN reported that the plane "skidded into a house and burst into flames."

Meanwhile as per a report in the New York Times, while one person on board the plane was killed the other three persons were hospitalized.

The plane, according to the NYT report, crashed near a two-story home, burst into flames and set the building on fire, , a spokeswoman for Lithuania's Fire and Rescue Department said. The house's 12 residents were evacuated and none were injured, she said according to the NYT.

Three people pulled from the wreckage and sent to hospital, One is from Lithuania, one from Germany and one from Spain. Two of the people on the plane were pilots, and the other two were passengers, the spokeswoman was cited as saying.

According to CNN, DHL said the plane "made a forced landing about one kilometer from VNO Airport." It confirmed four people were onboard and said "the status of the crew is still being clarified."

"The cause of the accident is still unknown, and an investigation is underway," DHL said.

According to the Vilnius mayor, Valdas Benkunskas, the plane narrowly missed hitting the house directly, crashing instead into the nearby courtyard, Lithuanian broadcaster LRT reported as cited by CNN. (ANI)