Aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Schipol airport near Amsterdam on April 15, 2015. 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. — Reuters
AMSTERDAM: A person died on May 29 after falling into the spinning turbine blades of a departing passenger jet at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, officials said.
The death occurred on the apron outside the busy hub's terminal as a KLM flight was ready to depart for Billund in Denmark.
"An... incident took place at Schiphol today during which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine," Dutch flagship carrier KLM said in a statement.
"Sadly the person has died," KLM said, without disclosing the victim's identity.
Dutch border police, who are responsible for security at the Netherlands' largest airport, said passengers were removed from the plane and an investigation was opened.
The plane involved is a short-haul Embraer jet, used by KLM's Cityhopper service which operates flights to other nearby destinations like London, Dutch news reports said.
A picture posted on the NOS public broadcaster showed the plane surrounded by fire trucks and ambulances next to the departure terminals.
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. – AFP
