Person Dies After 'Ending Up in Running Jet Engine'

Tragedy struck Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, where a person was killed Wednesday in the running engine of a KLM jet preparing for departure. The person, who has not been identified, somehow "ended up in a running aircraft engine," according to a statement from KLM, the Netherlands' flag carrier. The incident, which took place on the "apron" or the area outside the terminal where planes park, load and unload, is under investigation. Dutch border police oversee security at the airport, and said passengers were removed from the aircraft after the tragedy, the Guardian reports.

Flight KL1341 was preparing to leave for Denmark; the short-haul Embraer jet involved is one used by KLM's Cityhopper service, which flies passengers to nearby European locations. Per the BBC, "it is too early to say whether it was an accident or a form of suicide." It's also not clear who the person was, though reports in Dutch outlets have suggested it could have been one of the employees assisting in pushing the plane back from the gate prior to takeoff. "Our thoughts go out to the [deceased's] relatives and we care for the passengers and colleagues who saw this," the airport, one of Europe's busiest hubs, said in a statement. Accidents there are rare. (More Amsterdam Schiphol Airport stories.)