An Italian international airport has been closed after a person reportedly died in an accident on a taxiway.
According to Corriere della Sera, the victim, 35, who was not a passenger or airport staff member at Milan Bergamo Airport, died after being ‘sucked into the plane engine’.
The man is believed to have forced one of the doors open in the baggage claim area before running onto the tarmac and into the path of an aircraft that was preparing for takeoff.
Flightradar24 data shows Airbus A319 flight V73511 from Milan to Austurias, Spain, was on the move for only one minute and 55 seconds before the accident occurred.
The plane, which has engines that can spin at nearly 15,000 rotations per minute, reportedly completing the ‘pushback’ move to exit the parking area.
Flights scheduled to arrive at the airport, which is one of Italy’s biggest – have now been diverted this morning following the ‘fatal accident’.
At 11:50am one flight was diverted to Bologna, two were redirected to Verona, and six were sent to Milan Malpensa.
Eight departing flights were cancelled after oeprations at the airport were suspended at 10:20am.. Air traffic has now resumed.
Sacbo, the operator of the Bergamo airport, said: ‘An incident that occurred on the taxiway, the causes of which are being investigated by law enforcement.’
In an update posted to X, the Lombardy Airports Association wrote: ‘Traffic to and from #orio #Bgy is suspended due to a serious issue on the apron.
‘Possible delays, diversions, and cancellations throughout the morning. Updates will follow’.
According to FlightRadar information, so far, 19 cancellations have been recorded from Milan Bergamo Airport.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
