An unidentified person was killed inside a running jet engine at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam on Wednesday, airline officials said.
In a statement released after the fatal incident, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines said the person “ended up” inside the engine of an aircraft about to embark on Flight KL1341 to Billund, Denmark.
“Sadly, this person has died,” KLM wrote. “We are currently taking care of the passengers and employees who witnessed the incident at Schiphol.”
There are still several questions surrounding the airport death, including whether or not the unidentified person was an airport or airline employee. It is not publicly known if the individual entered the engine of their own volition or if they were sucked inside accidentally.
Passengers onboard the Denmark-bound jet were made to disembark.
The Dutch military police, called Marechaussee, are investigating the incident.
A Marechaussee spokesperson told Reuters it is too early to determine if the death was accidental or a suicide.
However, on social media the military police wrote in Dutch that they are investigating an incident in which someone “fell into” a running jet engine.
Numerous photos of emergency vehicles surrounding the KLM jet were circulated on social media.
The airplane involved in the incident is reportedly an Embraer ERJ-190, an aircraft with twin jet engines. KLM uses the plane for short-distance trips to nearby European cities.
In a social media post written in Dutch, Schiphol airport called the incident “horrible.”
“Our thoughts go out to the relatives and we care for the passengers and colleagues who witnessed this,” the airport wrote.
Schiphol is one of Europe’s busiest airports.
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