DHL cargo plane crashes and skids into a house in Lithuania, killing at least 1

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — A DHL cargo plane crashed on approach to an airport in Lithuania's capital and skidded into a nearby house Monday morning, leaving at least one crew member dead, officials said. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

The head of the country's firefighting service said that the plane skidded a few hundred meters (yards), and photos showed smoke rising from a damaged structure in an area of barren trees.

A surveillance video from a nearby company showed the plane descending normally as it approached the airport, and then exploding into a huge ball of fire from behind a building. The exact moment of impact could not be seen.

Rescue workers sealed off the area, and fragments of the plane in the company’s trademark yellow color were scattered across the site of the crash.

“Residential infrastructure around the house was on fire, and the house was slightly damaged, but we managed to evacuate people," said Renatas Požėla, chief of the Fire and Rescue Department.

One eyewitness, who gave her name only as Svaja, ran to a window when a light as bright as a red sun filled her room, and then heard an explosion followed by flashes and black smoke.

“I saw a fireball,” she said. “My first thought is that a world (war) has begun and it’s time to grab the documents and run somewhere to a shelter, to a basement.”

Lithuanian’s public broadcaster LRT, quoting an emergency official, said two people had been taken to the hospital after the crash, and one was pronounced dead.

The person who was killed was a member of the flight crew but not a pilot, officials said. Firefighters freed two pilots from the cockpit, one of whom was more seriously injured, according to the General Commissioner of the Lithuanian Police Arūnas Paulauskas.

Paulauskas told a news conference that the cause of the crash was under investigation. He said officers went to the hospital to interview the crew members.

He also investigators were considering various causes, such as a technical failure and human error, and have not ruled out the possibility of a terrorist act.

“This is one of the versions that must be studied and checked,” Paulauskas said, according to LRT.

The Lithuanian airport authority identified the aircraft as a DHL cargo plane arriving from Leipzig, Germany, which is a major freight hub.

Flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24, analyzed by The Associated Press, showed the aircraft made a turn to the north of the airport, lining up for landing, before crashing a little more than 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) short of the runway.

The crash happened just before 5:30 a.m. Weather at the airport was around freezing temperature, with clouds before sunrise and winds around 30 kph (18 mph).

DHL Group, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, did not immediately return a call for comment.

The DHL aircraft was operated by Swiftair, a Madrid-based contractor. A representative from the company said it not have any immediate comment.

The Boeing 737 was 31 years old, which is considered by experts to be an older airframe, though that’s not unusual for cargo flights.

This story corrects the title of Renatas Požėla.

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Lithuanian emergency personnel prepare to work near the site where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Lithuanian emergency personnel work by parts of the wreckage of a DHL cargo plane which crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

A piece of debris from a DHL cargo plane which crashed into a house is seen near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Lithuanian police investigators work near the site where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Lithuanian Emergency Ministry employees work near the site where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Lithuanian Emergency Ministry employees and police officers stand near the place where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Lithuanian Emergency Ministry employees work near the site where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Police guard an area near the place where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Lithuanian Emergency Ministry employees work near the place where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Lithuanian Emergency Ministry employees work near the place where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

A smoke rises from the place where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Lithuanian Emergency Ministry employees work near the place where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Lithuanian Emergency Ministry employees work near the place where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

PERTH, Australia (AP) — India routed Australia by 295 runs in the opening Border-Gavaskar test to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series with more than a day to spare at Perth Stadium on Monday.

Set a formidable 534 runs to win, Australia was bowled out for 238 runs soon after tea on the fourth day as India secured its biggest win against the hosts in Australia following the 222-run win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in December 1977.

Travis Head top scored for the home side with 89 runs off 101 balls with eight fours. Head tried to delay the inevitable defeat first with Steve Smith (17), sharing 62 runs for the fifth wicket to lift Australia from 17-4 soon after it resumed the day from an overnight 12-3.

Then in the company of hard-hitting Mitchell Marsh (47), Head added 82 runs for the sixth wicket before fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah forced the lefthander to edge to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

Bumrah finished with a match-haul of 8-72 (5-30 and 3-42) and increased his wicket tally in Australia to 40 at an average of 18.80 in eight test matches. Bumrah passed offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin (39 wickets) as the third most successful Indian bowler in Australia behind swing bowler Kapil Dev (51 in 11) and legspinner Anil Kumble (49 in 10).

“I am very proud of the team,” Bumrah said. “After being bowled out for 150 we showed character and didn’t lose belief. Going forward, we can take a lot of confidence from that. I am very happy the way we came back."

Fast bowler Mohamed Siraj took 3-51.

Fast bowler Harshit Rana, in his debut test, bowled Alex Carey for 36 to seal a big win for India.

It was also India's second biggest win in terms of runs against Australia in all tests since the 320-run win at home in Mohali in October 2008.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins conceded that his side was outplayed.

“It is not an ideal way to start the summer. It’s a big series. We were outplayed this week," he said.

"They bowled terrifically well and put a dent into us,” Cummins added of Australian first innings batting capitulation after restricting India to 150.

Cummins urged his side to come back with a strategy to combat Bumrah, who was unplayable at times.

“He’s one of the best in the world. We need to come up with a game plan," he said.

India's comfortable win was set up by two majestic centuries — Yashasvi Jaiswal's 161 and an unbeaten 100 by evergreen Virat Kohli — as the tourists set Australia the highest-ever run chase on a pitch that was getting increasingly difficult to bat on.

Playing only its fourth five-test series since its first tour here in 1947-48, India secured only its 10th win in 53 tests on Australian soil and only its second in Perth in six test matches. India last won in Perth in 2008 at the old WACA ground.

India had gone into the test without skipper Rohit Sharma, who stayed home for the birth of his second child and batsman Shubman Gill who broke a finger during a intra-squad practice match.

But a young and inexperienced team under Bumrah redeemed itself and turned its fortunes around following an embarrassing 3-0 home series loss to New Zealand leading into this test series.

After an eventful start to the test that saw 17 wickets fall on the first day, India took control of the test as it plundered 487-6 declared. This was after it was bowled out for 150 after winning the toss and then dismissed Australia for a paltry 104.

But the test belonged to 22-year-old Jaiswal who provided the backbone of the Indian second innings that will be long remembered for it class and exuberance against the much-vaunted Australian pace attack. It was his third century in 2024 and anchored the innings with a record 201-run opening stand with KL Rahul (77).

Kohli then took over to become the most successful visiting batsman in Australia by scoring his seventh hundred here before India declared. Only Englishman Jack Hobbs (9) has scored more hundreds in Australia in 24 matches. Kohli has played only 14 games.

The start of day four did not go well for the hosts as Siraj forced Khawaja (4) to top edge for Pant to complete a running catch to reduce Australia to 17-4.

But Smith and Head survived some anxious moments against India’s pace quartet and Head counterattacked his way to a 63-ball half century with six fours.

Smith put behind his first-ball nought in the first innings to play a watchful innings, but was eventually undone by a superb Siraj delivery.

The series now moves to Adelaide for a pink ball test from Dec. 6.

India has held the Border-Gavaskar trophy since the 2016-17 home series.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

India's Virat Kohli, left, KL Rahul and captain Jasprit Bumrah celebrate the wicket of Australia's Travis Head on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Mitchell Marsh reacts after losing his wicket on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Nathan Lyon is bowled out by India's Washington Sundar on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's captain Jasprit Bumrah leaves the field carrying a stump after winning the first cricket test against Australia in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's captain Jasprit Bumrah hugs teammate Virat Kohli after winning the first cricket test against Australia in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Alex Carey is bowled out by India's Harshit Rana on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's fans celebrate after India won the first cricket test against Australia in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's Harshit Rana, left, celebrates the wicket of Australia's Alex Carey on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's captain Jasprit Bumrah gestures as he prepares to bowl on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Usman Khawaja reacts after losing his wicket to India's Mohammed Siraj on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Steve Smith bats on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's captain Jasprit Bumrah bowls a delivery on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Travis Head bats on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's Harshit Rana appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of Australia's Steve Smith on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Travis Head celebrates his fifty runs on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Travis Head bats on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's players celebrate the wicket of Australia's Steve Smith on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's Rishabh Pant, left, celebrates with teammate Nitish Kumar Reddy the wicket of Australia's Usman Khawaja on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's Virat Kohli, right, celebrates the wicket of Australia's Steve Smith, center, who leaves the field after losing his wicket on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)