A Lufthansa cargo plane crashed at King Khaled International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh injuring the pilots, Saudi state television said on Tuesday.

According to media reports, the Lufthansa cargo plane caught fire and split in half while landing on Tuesday injuring the pilot and co-pilot. 

Lufthansa in a statement later confirmed that one of its cargo planes, MD-11 freighter crashed this morning at 11.38am (local time) in Riyadh. The aircraft, coded Flight LH 8460, was on its way to Riyadh from Frankfurt, Germany, it said.

The plane was piloted by a two-man crew, according to initial reports. Both pilots are being treated in hospital, the statement added.

On board Flight LH 8460 were 80 tonnes of freight. It is not yet known exactly what type of freight it was or which customers are affected.

The cause of the accident is still being investigated, the company said.-TradeArabia News Service