A DHL cargo plane crashes near an airport in Lithuania

A DHL cargo plane crashed in Lithuania Officials said they killed a Spanish crew member and injured three others on board early Monday morning while approaching the airport.

The surveillance footage shows this Boeing 737 it descended upon landing and disappeared behind the building. A moment later, a giant ball of fire exploded into the air. The moment of impact is not visible in the recording.

The DHL plane was operated by Swiftair, a Madrid-based contractor, and was carrying four people when it crashed at 5:30 a.m. local time as the plane arrived from Leipzig, Germany, a major cargo hub, Lithuanian airport authorities told The Associated. Press.

DHL told the AP in a statement that the plane “forced landed” about half a mile from Vilnius airport. The cause of the accident is unknown and an investigation is ongoing.

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Footage shows the Boeing 737 descending as the plane begins to land. (Arvydas Paukstys via Storyful)

One crew member, a Spanish citizen, died in the crash, and three others – identified as citizens of Spain, Germany and Lithuania – were injured, Reuters reported, citing local police.

The plane disappears behind a building and then a ball of fire erupts into the air. (Arvydas Paukstys via Storyful)

The rescue services told the station that the plane broke apart on impact and skidded several hundred meters near residential houses. Authorities said debris hit at least one house, although no one on the ground was injured.

“Fortunately, despite the accident that took place in a residential area, no one died among the local population,” he added. Prime minister According to the Associated Press, Ingrida Šimonytė told reporters.

The services said the causes of the accident were unknown and an investigation was ongoing. (Arvydas Paukstys via Storyful)

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According to Reuters, citing the Flightradar24 database, the Boeing 737 involved in the crash was 31 years old.

The Associated Press analyzed flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 and found that the plane veered north of the airport as it prepared to land before crashing just over a mile short of the runway.

While it is unclear what caused the accident, the crash came at a time when Western security officials previously told Reuters they suspected Russian intelligence of testing for acts of sabotage on cargo flights to the United States.

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German officials are also investigating fires that occurred earlier this year in Leipzig, where incendiary devices were hidden in packages in a warehouse, Reuters reported.