A Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter had an accident in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The freighter, Flight LH 8460, was on a flight from Frankfurt to Hong Kong with stopovers in Riyadh and Sharjah.

The plane was piloted by a two-man crew who were able to leave the aircraft down the emergency slide. Both pilots have already been contacted on the phone, they are currently being treated in hospital. The MD-11 freighter, coded D-ALCQ, was severely damaged but a fire on board has been extinguished. On board the freighter were 80 tonnes of freight.

The aircraft was delivered in 1993 and taken over by Lufthansa Cargo in 2004. Up to the accident in Riyadh, it had logged 10,073 take-offs and around 73,200 flying hours. The freighter completed its last comprehensive maintenance check (C-Check) on 22 June 2009, an A-Check was carried out immediately prior to the flight to Riyadh. The experienced cockpit crew consisted of a 39 year-old captain and a 29 year-old first officer.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation. A team of experts from Lufthansa Cargo is on its way to Riyadh. Lufthansa Cargo is cooperating closely with the authorities in Riyadh and will do its utmost to help clarify the reasons for the accident. At the moment, we have no further details.