• A man was sucked into a plane engine at Milan Bergamo Airport, resulting in his death.
• Flight operations were halted for nearly two hours during the incident.
• The individual reportedly accessed the runway unauthorized, eluding security personnel.

A man tragically died after being sucked into the engine of an aircraft at Milan Bergamo Airport during take-off preparations on Tuesday morning. The individual, not an airline passenger or airport employee, reportedly breached security and ran onto the taxiway while the plane was taxiing for departure, according to Newsweek and CBS News.

The Airbus A319 operated by low-cost airline Volotea was preparing for a flight to Asturias, Spain, when the incident occurred shortly after it completed boarding and while taxiing away from the terminal. Authorities have initiated an investigation to ascertain the details surrounding the access of the runway by the victim, who is reported to be around 35 years old, according to India Times and South China Morning Post.

Due to the serious incident, Milan Bergamo Airport suspended all flight operations for nearly two hours, from 10:20 a.m. to noon, affecting at least eight flights. The airport operator, SACBO, announced the closure on social media, noting that “the causes of the problem are currently being investigated by the authorities,” as referenced by Dawn and CBS News.

The passengers and crew were rescheduled on a later flight, and psychological support was offered to those affected by the incident. Reports suggest that the victim attempted to take his own life, having entered the airport’s secured areas before approaching the moving aircraft, highlighting serious concerns regarding security protocols at the airport, according to South China Morning Post and India Times.