A man has reportedly been killed after being sucked into a KLM passenger plane engine at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
Dutch military police investigators said that is was too early to say whether this was an ‘incident’, or a form of suicide.
Emergency crews carried out a ‘massive’ response after the horror tragedy was first reported around 3pm this afternoon, with a picture posted on the NOS public broadcaster showing the plane surrounded by fire trucks and ambulances.
Passengers and crew members were reported to be on board the Embraer 190 aircraft – which KLM uses for their Cityhopper service to nearby destinations – when the person fell into the spinning turbine blades.
Witnesses disclosed that there was ‘a hellish noise’, with smoke emerging from the engine shortly after
Flight 1341 was set to depart from Schiphol in the Netherlands for Billund in Denmark at 2.25pm today.
It was unclear from initial reports whether the victim was travelling with the airline or worked at the airport.
An insider that the incident was “very intense”, adding: “After the plane was pushed back to take off, someone walked into the engine.”
A spokesperson for Schiphol said: “Today there was a terrible incident in which a person ended up in an aircraft engine. Our thoughts are with the relatives and we are providing care for the passengers and colleagues who witnessed this.”
The airport confirmed an investigation was underway to gather more details on the case, led by the Royal Military Police.
The ‘Koninklijke Marechaussee’ Royal Military Police said in a statement: “An incident occurred this afternoon on the Schiphol platform where a person fell into a running aircraft engine and died.
“All passengers and employees of the flight in question have disembarked and are being taken care of,” the statement added.
Psychological support will be provided for the passengers witness to the incident, military police said. The passengers have since been disembarked from the aircraft.
They noted that the passengers may still be ‘important witnesses’ in helping them understand exactly what happened.
Details remain scarce on the identity of the person and what caused the incident to unfold.
The engine was running at the time of the incident, suggesting the plane was preparing to take-off. An airport employee told the outletthe plane was reversing in a ‘pushback’ before taking off.
Airline KLM said in a statement: “Today there was a horrible incident at Schiphol in which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine. Sadly the person has died. we receive passengers and employees who have seen this at Schiphol. The circumstances are currently being investigated.
“For further information – as soon as available – we refer to the Royal Military Police.”
The airline’s CEO, Marjan Rintel, also wrote on X about the ‘terrible incident’: “Our thoughts go out to the loved ones of the deceased and all people who witnessed the accident.”
Mark Harbers, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, said on X: ‘Terrible news about a fatal accident today at Schiphol. My condolences go out to the relatives of the victim and the people who witnessed the accident.’
The Dutch pilots’ union VNV has also expressed its condolences over the ‘tragic incident’ in a statement on X: ‘Our first concern and thoughts go out to those involved and their relatives. We offer our cooperation and expertise in the investigation into the exact cause.’
A statement was also issued by the Dutch Association of Aviation Technicians (NVLT), which said: ‘We are pleased with the care shown by Schiphol Airport and KLM for the passengers and colleagues who witnessed this event.’
Safety and security measures are strict at Schiphol and accidents are rare at the busy airport, which handled around 5.5 million passengers last month alone, according to airport figures.