Milan Bergamo Airport: Latest updates on man, 35, 'sucked into plane's engine and killed' at European airport after 'ran in front of plane' - what happened
A man has died at Milan Bergamo Airport after being “sucked into plane engine” on the runway.
More details are unfolding on the incident which happened this morning (Tuesday 8 July) at Milan Bergamo Airport. Sacbo, who run the airport, said: "SACBO announces that flight operations at Milan Bergamo Airport were suspended at 10:20 am due to a problem that occurred on the taxiway. The causes of the problem are currently being investigated by the authorities."
The victim has been identified as a 35-year-old man, local media has reported. He was killed after being sucked into the jet engine.
It's now being reported in local media that the 35-year-old man who died in the incident earlier today was a suspected trespasser, and not a passenger or airport worker. The man is believed to have run in front of a plane as it moved towards the runway for take-off.
Local media has reported that the man was being chased by police and ran onto the tarmac. According to reports, police were unable to stop him, as he ran towards the aircraft that was already moving. The plane involved in today's accident is an Airbus A319 operated by the Spanish budget airline Volotea.
It was departing to the Asturias in Spain when the man was fatally injured shortly after it had picked up passengers. Despite air traffic officially resuming at the airport, live departures information shows that the majority of flights scheduled for the next three hours are either delayed or cancelled.
Firefighters, airport technicians and police are currently investigating how the incident unfolded. One main focus of their inquries is thought to centre around whether it was an accident or a voluntary act.
A statement from Volotea, the airline operating the plane involved in today's incident, said: "We're investigating reports of an incident involving our flight V73511 BGY-OVD, which occurred on the ground after boarding was completed and ready for departure. We're aware that one individual has sustained serious injuries involving the aircraft engine."