Pieces of flying plane break off in Netherlands

Two people were injured on Sunday after pieces of a cargo plane broke off and fell onto a town in the Netherlands, according to authorities.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.Metal parts fell in Meerssen in the Sint Josephstraat area, the safety inspector said.Two people were slightly injured. One of them was taken to a hospital, the safety inspector said. Several cars and houses were also damaged.

MAA said in a statement that the plane was carrying "general cargo and pharmaceuticals on board."

"A few seconds after the plane took off, air traffic control noted an engine fire and informed the pilots. They then switched off the engine concerned and sent out an emergency signal," MAA said.