Cargo plane's engine catches fire, dropping debris that injures two people in a Dutch town

Two people were injured after pieces of a cargo plane broke off and fell onto a town in the Netherlands, according to authorities there. Pieces of metal fell on the town of Meerssen after a Boeing 747 cargo plane experienced an engine fire shortly after taking off from Maastricht, according to the Veiligheidsregio (the Dutch regional safety inspector) and Maastricht Aachen Airport (MAA). The Boeing 747-400 freighter plane was bound for JFK Airport in New York City, according to Longtail Aviation, the charter airline service that owns the plane. The plane's crew noticed an engine issue shortly after takeoff, Longtail Aviation said. The crew "followed correct procedures to investigate the problem," the airline said. "Resulting from this, the decision was made, with air traffic approval, to divert to Liège Airport, Belgium, where it landed safely," the airline said. "Our flight crew dealt with this situation professionally and in accordance with the correct aviation standards, resulting in a safe and uneventful landing," said Martin Amick, accountable manager for Longtail Aviation. "We are now in the process of working closely with the Dutch, Belgian, Bermuda and UK authorities to understand the cause of this incident." Two people were slightly injured. One of them was taken to a hospital, the safety inspector said. Several cars and houses were also damaged, the safety inspector added.<br/>