️ A person has died after jumping an airport perimeter fence in the US state of Colorado and being struck by a Frontier Airlines plane, according to authorities. The unusual incident occurred late Friday at Denver International Airport.

️ The unidentified individual gained access to the tarmac and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway, the airport said. A brief engine fire followed the collision, which was extinguished by emergency responders.

️ Of the 231 people on board, 12 suffered minor injuries, with five hospitalized. Investigators examined the fenceline where the individual entered and found it to be intact. The struck individual is not believed to be an airport employee.

️ “We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved,” the airport said. Both local authorities and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating.

️ The Frontier Airlines flight had been bound for Los Angeles International Airport. Airport safety in the US came under renewed scrutiny earlier this year amid a prolonged shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

️ While instances of people being killed on airport tarmacs are rare, Friday’s incident came a day after a Delta employee was killed in Orlando and months after two pilots died in a crash at LaGuardia Airport. Denver International Airport serves about 225,000 travelers daily.

Source: www.aljazeera.com