Investigators have revealed that they don't know the sex of the person who was fatally sucked into an engine of a plane.
An unidentified person was killed at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport when they were pulled into the jet turbines of a KLM Cityhopper Embraer E190.
The plane, which was carrying more than 80 passengers, was scheduled to depart from Amsterdam to Billund, Denmark.
It has not been disclosed whether the person who lost their life was an employee or a passenger.
According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, witnesses said they heard a "hellish noise" as the person was sucked into the jet turbine, adding: "Many people saw it happen."
"An employee from the aircraft in question reported that someone had jumped into the engine while the crew had just completed the safety instructions,” the website reported.
Meanwhile, The Sun reported that an airport worker claimed that the gory accident happened during "pushback," as the aircraft was moved back on the tarmac in preparation for takeoff.
However, a spokesperson for Dutch military police, Marechaussee, revealed in a press conference that the details of the case are unknown as they were still trying to identify the sex of the victim.
They also told Reuters that it is too early in the investigation to determine whether this was an accident or if the person died by suicide.
Schiphol Airport, which is one of Europe’s busiest hub airports and Holland's main airport, issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) addressing the tragedy.
“Today there was a horrible incident where a person ended up in an airplane engine," they penned. "Our thoughts go out to the relatives and we care for the passengers and colleagues who witnessed this. The Royal Military Police is currently conducting an investigation."
Officials from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines - the airline that operates the plane involved - also shared a post, writing: “A fatal incident took place at Schiphol today during which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine."
"Sadly, this person has died. The flight concerned was KL1341 bound for Billund," they continued. “We are currently taking care of the passengers and employees who witnessed the incident at Schiphol. The circumstances are currently under investigation."
"For further information – once available – we refer you to the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee,” KLM concluded.
Our thoughts continue to be with everyone affected by this tragedy.
