All wreckage removed one week after cargo plane crashes in Lithuania

Recovery work has been completed after a cargo plane travelling from Germany to Lithuania crashed in Vilnius last week, police said on Monday.

All wreckage of the Swiftair aircraft, which had been flying from Leipzig in eastern Germany to the Lithuanian capital on behalf of logistics giant DHL, has been removed, a police spokesman said.

Smaller parts of the aircraft were removed last week while the large pieces of wreckage – including the cockpit of the Boeing 737 – were transported by lorry to a hangar for examination over the weekend.

The flight data recorders have also been recovered and to be analysed in Germany.

The cargo aircraft crashed into a residential area near Vilnius Airport just before it was due to land early on November 25, smashing to pieces on impact. One of the four crew members aboard the plane was killed.

Images of the crash site published by Lithuanian media show destroyed buildings and burnt cars.

Residents of a damaged apartment building have been temporarily housed elsewhere.

The cause of the crash is still unknown. So far, there are no indications of a possible terrorist attack or an act of sabotage.

The Lithuanian authorities have launched a full investigation into the incident, with investigators from Germany, Spain and the US supporting the efforts.