RIYADH: A Lufthansa cargo plane crashed at King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh on Tuesday.
There were no casualties, although its two pilots sustained minor injuries, according to the German airline and the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).
The aircraft split into two pieces when it landed at 11.38 in the morning.
"The cause of the incident is being investigated, and one of the two KKIA runways temporarily closed has since been reopened for regular flights," said GACA spokesman Khaled Al-Khaibari.
He said that landings and take-offs at KKIA were not affected, adding that the pilots, who had used an emergency slide to escape the plane, were being treated at a local hospital.
"We express our thanks to the pilot, who reported the fire in the cargo hold of the aircraft to KKIA ground officials well before landing," added Al-Khaibari.
Airport officials alerted a rescue team that rushed to the plane immediately after it landed at the airport.
Cargo flight LH8460, a Boeing MD-11, was carrying 80 tons of freight from Frankfurt to Hong Kong, with stopovers in Riyadh and Sharjah.
"An investigation has been launched into the crash. A team of experts from Lufthansa Cargo is on its way to Riyadh," Lufthansa's Head of Corporate Communications for the Middle East Christoph Meier told Arab News from Dubai. "Lufthansa was cooperating with the authorities in Riyadh and will do its utmost to help clarify the reasons for the accident".
Meier added that it was too early to comment on the safety and condition of the plane, claiming that a rescue team was trying to retrieve the aircraft's flight data recorder.
Arab News
