A military Airbus A400M cargo plane has crashed in Seville in southern Spain. According to media reports, the jet was carrying seven people when it crashed into an irrigation canal in agricultural land near an international airport.
UPDATE CRASH #A400M New pictures of the crash site at Seville http://t.co/JagRbNuzQN pic.twitter.com/FHzDItUOm4
— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) May 9, 2015
Spain’s Defense Ministry has confirmed the crash, but was unable to give more information on whether there were fatalities.
There were “eight to 10” people on board, Spanish PM Manuel Rajoy told EL Pais newspaper, adding that they were Spanish citizens and airbus employees.
UPDATE PHOTO #A400M crash site near Seville airport. pic.twitter.com/ePBwAUTQz7
— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) May 9, 2015
“We express our deepest sympathy,” he said. “They were our fellow countrymen.”
According to Spanish emergency services, there were seven people aboard the crashed plane. Three of them have been killed, two injured and two more are missing.
Accidente aéreo de un A400 en Sevilla con 7 personas a bordo.
Ya comienzan a llegar imágenes.#NoticiasFinDeSemanaA3 pic.twitter.com/zVkM3Azm3i— Mónica Carrillo (@MonicaCarrillo) May 9, 2015
The vehicle crashed only 1.6km north of international San Pablo Airport, emergency services said. Though the crash occurred outside the perimeter of the airport, the facility is not operational, El Pais reported. Some flights are being diverted to the cities of Malaga and Jerez.
The aircraft was on a test flight, local TV station ABC de Sevilla said, adding that the crew contacted air traffic controllers about a technical failure after takeoff.
Numerous images on social media showed firefighters spraying the smoldering wreckage of the jet in a field.
The vehicle hadn’t yet been delivered to the Spanish military and was undergoing trials, El Pais reported.
Podría tratarse de un avion A400M @Airbus estrellado cercanía aeropuerto #Sevilla @J_Merino_B pic.twitter.com/G1xhLu5bK4
— InfoEmergencias (@InfoEmerg) May 9, 2015
Twitter users claimed that the jet crashed on or near a local Coca Cola factory, but this information hasn’t been officially confirmed. Later pictures on social media showed smoking plane wreckage in a field.
AHORA: pendientes @E112Andalucia por fuerte explosión en #Sevilla. Sin luz electrica en zona crta Carmona @ftorres_es pic.twitter.com/XUcsn7cMdy
— InfoEmergencias (@InfoEmerg) May 9, 2015
The Airbus A400M Atlas is a tactical airlifter that can perform various missions, including electronic surveillance and aerial refueling. It is primarily used by the French and Turkish air forces.
The A400M’s maiden flight took place in December 2009 from Seville, Spain. Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the UK and Turkey are the jet’s primary operators.
Un a400m se estrella cerca de la fábrica de CocaCola en #Sevilla #ÚltimaHora pic.twitter.com/QL2wRVnmFk
— Jesús Moreno ☢ (@JesusMorenoFM) May 9, 2015
With the increase in military movements ‘globally’, this is merely a matter of the odds of crashes increasing as well.
war is hell, after all