One person died after becoming “trapped” inside a running plane engine at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on Wednesday, authorities said, but the cause of death remains unknown.
Dutch national airline KLM said in a statement that the incident occurred on flight KL1341, which was bound for Billund, Denmark.
The airline said it was “currently looking after passengers and staff who witnessed the incident at Schiphol airport.”
It was unclear whether the person, whose name has not been released, fell into the plane's engine or was pulled into it. KLM did not say whether the person was an airline employee or airport staff member.
“There has been a horrific incident in which a person was trapped inside a plane engine,” Schiphol airport said in a message posted in Dutch on social media.
“We would like to extend our condolences to the family of the deceased and our heartfelt sympathies to fellow passengers and colleagues who witnessed this incident,” the airport said in a statement.
Dutch military police said on social media that passengers had disembarked after the incident, adding that an investigation was ongoing.
Images circulating on social media showed fire engines and other emergency vehicles next to the plane on the runway.
According to the air travel tracking website FlightAware, the plane was an Embraer ERJ-190 twin-engine jet that can carry up to 100 people and is nicknamed a “city hopper” for its use on short flights within Europe, according to the airline.
Deadly incidents like Wednesday's are rare on the airport's tarmac, where strict security measures are in place.
In January, a man died after climbing into a plane engine at Salt Lake City International Airport. Police said he had made it to the plane through an emergency exit at the airport. Lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful and he died at the airport, police said.
Claire Moses Contributed report.