Man dies after sucked into plane engine at Milan airport
All flights at Milan Bergamo Airport were temporarily grounded after a man was sucked into the engine of a departing plane and died, according to reports.
The aircraft involved, an Airbus A319 operated by the low-cost Spanish airline Volotea, was preparing to take off from Bergamo for Asturias, in northern Spain, when the incident occurred about 10.20am on Tuesday (local time), news agencies reported.
First responders, including firefighters and police officers were called to the airport located about 60km east of Milan.
While authorities have provided few other details, Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, citing unnamed airline sources, reported an individual ran on to the tarmac and was subsequently pulled into the plane's engine. It was not immediately clear if the person killed was an an airport employee, customer, or someone entering from the outside.
All 154 passengers and six crew members were safe and being provided with psychological support, Volotea said.
Milan Bergamo confirmed the suspension of operations citing "a problem that occurred on the taxiway". It also blamed "technical problems" and warned of delays and diversion.
During the shutdown, at least eight departing flights were cancelled, while arriving flights were diverted to other airports in the region, including those in Bologna, Verona and Milan Malpensa. — TCA
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