Schiphol Airport tragedy as person dies after falling into running aeroplane engine

A person has died at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam after falling into an aeroplane’s engine while it was still running, according to reports.

Dutch media said it happened just after 3pm on Wednesday afternoon and reported “a massive response” by emergency services at the scene.

Passengers and crew were reportedly on board the plane, a KLM flight bound for Billund in Denmark - home of Legoland - when it happened.

A spokesman for the Dutch military, which polices the airport, said: “All passengers and employees of the flight in question have disembarked and are being taken care of.”

The spokesman said the military were investigating the cause of the incident. It is not clear if the victim was travelling through the airport or if they worked there.

The country’s Labour Inspectorate were also investigating to determine if it was a workplace accident.

The case was also going to be investigated by the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) who were sending a team of investigators to the scene.

A spokesperson for the airport said: “There was a horrible incident today in which a person ended up in an aircraft engine.

“Our thoughts go out to the relatives and we are providing assistance for the passengers and colleagues who witnessed this.”

The airport, which is about six miles away from the Dutch capital, is Europe’s third busiest with almost 72 million passengers coming through it in one year.

It opened more than a century ago and is the principal hub for KLM which is the Dutch national carrier.