Airplane tragedy

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The wreckage of the crashed plane lay in the courtyard of a house.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Petras MALUKAS)

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 provide 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.

Investigators have now recovered the flight recorders. In addition to the flight data recorder, the voice recorder has also been found, the Ministry of Justice announced. Both devices were removed from the wreckage around midday and will now be examined.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has called on people to refrain from speculating too much about the cause of the crash of a cargo plane in Vilnius. The suspicion of a possible act of sabotage should not be overemphasized, but neither should it be played down. At the same time, such a version cannot be ruled out, Nauseda said on Lithuanian radio this morning.

The wreckage of the crashed plane lay in the courtyard of a house.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Petras MALUKAS)

German 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 on 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. He told Lithuanian television in the evening that there were no signs of unusual activity on board or inside the plane. It seemed as if the flight had been routine and then there had been an impact on the ground.

Search for flight recorder and help from German investigators
According to Paulauskas, the search will also continue for the flight recorder, which has not yet been recovered and is said to be in the remains of the completely destroyed aircraft. 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.

The Lithuanian police are searching the crash site.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Petras Malukas)

Baerbock demands full investigation
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock demanded 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 are aware of this."

The plane crash raises questions and fears, above all 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.