A man in his thirties lost his life on Tuesday morning after he ran onto the runway at Bergamo Airport in northern Italy and got pulled into a plane’s engine. The man was not a passenger or staff of the airport.
The incident happened around 10:35 a.m. when a Volotea flight to Asturias, Spain, was getting ready to take off.
According to airport officials, the man entered the airport unlawfully and gained access to the runway through an emergency exit.
Airport security chased after him but couldn’t stop him before the tragedy occurred.
The aircraft involved was an Airbus A319. Although the man was seriously injured, all 154 passengers and six crew members on board were unharmed.
The airline later confirmed that psychological help was being provided to the passengers and crew.
Flight operations at Bergamo Airport, which is the third busiest in Italy, were temporarily stopped after the incident.
Services resumed later around midday. Authorities are still investigating how the man managed to breach security and what his motive may have been.