Riyadh: A cargo plane belonging to the German carrier Lufthansa crashed on landing at Riyadh airport on Tuesday, with the pilots hospitalised, Saudi television reported.
"The plane's pilot and co-pilot were hospitalised," said Al Arabiya, a Saudi-financed news channel.
It said the aircraft broke up into two on landing after smoke was seen coming from the plane as it approached the airport. Civil defence teams were working to put out the fire.
A Saudi civil aviation authority spokesman, Khalid Al Khaibri, gave no details on the crash, which took place at around noon. "We are still collecting information," he told AFP.
State-run Al Ekhbariya television also reported the crash but without giving immediate details.
A statement from Lufthansa said: “The aircraft, coded Flight LH 8460, was on a flight to Riyadh from Frankfurt, Germany. The plane was piloted by a two-man crew, according to initial reports. Both pilots are being treated in hospital.
“On board Flight LH 8460 were 80 tonnes of freight. It is not yet known exactly what type of freight it was or which customers are affected. The cause of the accident is still being investigated. At the moment, we have no further details.”
An airport ground services official, declining to give his name, said the plane, apparently an MD-11, appeared to have caught fire upon landing. "The aircraft is totally finished," he said.
Lufthansa had a scheduled flight to Riyadh from its Frankfurt hub on Tuesday, airport sources said.
