A tragic accident occurred on Wednesday at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport when a person fell into the spinning turbine blades of a departing passenger jet, resulting in their death, officials reported. The incident took place on the apron outside the terminal as a KLM flight was preparing to depart for Billund, Denmark.
Dutch flagship carrier KLM confirmed the incident in a statement, saying, “An incident took place at Schiphol today during which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine. Sadly the person has died.” The airline did not disclose the victim’s identity.
The Dutch border police, who oversee security at the Netherlands’ largest airport, stated that passengers were evacuated from the plane and an investigation has been initiated. The aircraft involved in the incident is a short-haul Embraer jet operated by KLM’s Cityhopper service, which flies to nearby destinations like London.
A photograph published by NOS public broadcaster showed the plane surrounded by fire trucks and ambulances near the departure terminals.
Despite the strict safety and security measures at Schiphol, such accidents are rare. The busy airport handled approximately 5.5 million passengers last month alone, according to recent airport statistics.