A person was killed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Wednesday evening after falling into an aircraft engine.
The incident took place on a flight operated by KLM, the Netherlands’ flag carrier.
It is suspected the victim could be a ground handler who was pushing back the aircraft before it took off.
In a statement last night, the airline said: “A fatal incident took place at Schiphol today during which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine. Sadly, this person has died.
“The flight concerned was KL1341 bound for Billund. We are currently taking care of the passengers and employees who witnessed the incident at Schiphol.”
Meanwhile Schiphol has confirmed an investigation is currently being led by military police.
The airport said: “Our thoughts go out to the [deceased’s] relatives and we care for the passengers and colleagues who saw this.”
The deceased has not yet been identified and Dutch police said investigators are still determining whether the incident was an accident or a form of suicide.
Emergency services rushed to the incident around 3pm on Wednesday when the plane was about to take off.
An airport employee said the crew had just completed safety instructions when the accident took place.
Many passengers and crew saw the tragedy take place, hearing a “hellish noise”.
Passengers and crew then disembarked the KLM plane.
