国际英语新闻：Lufthansa cargo plane crashes at Riyadh airport; pilots safe

RIYADH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A cargo plane of German airline Lufthansa crashed at Riyadh King Khaled International Airport on Tuesday as its two pilots survived the crash, pan-Arab Al Arabiya news channel reported.

A fire broke out shortly after the crash, but was now under control, and fortunately there is no one killed or injured, the Saudi-owned channel said.

The reason that led to the crash is yet to be determined as an investigation was launched into the incident.

A cargo plane of German airline Lufthansa crashed at Riyadh King Khaled International Airport, on July 27, 2010, with no casualties.

According to the Dubai-based network, the aircraft caught fire in mid-air and split into two halves as it was landing at the airport.

The civil defense personnel managed to extinguish the flames caused by the crash, as the airport resumed operations soon later.

The German pilot and co-pilot, both in stable condition, were moved to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

The MD-11 freighter was on flight from Frankfurt to Riyadh, according to a statement by Lufthansa Cargo.

"On board Flight LH 8460 (the code of the aircraft) were 80 tons of freight. It is not yet known exactly what type of freight it was or which customers are affected," the statement said, adding that the company will release more details later.