Lufthansa Boeing jet tips onto its nose at German airport

A Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner tipped onto its nose at Frankfurt Airport on Thursday, injuring several staff, the German airline said.

The incident occurred at 12:45 pm (1045 GMT) just before passengers boarded the plane which was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles.

"The aircraft's nose gear unexpectedly retracted while it was parked," a spokeswoman for the airline told AFP.

Cabin crew and ground staff were on board and several were injured and received medical treatment, the airline said.

Another Lufthansa spokesperson told AFP on Thursday evening that the wounded, which included two of its crew members, sustained only light injuries.

They were taken to hospital to receive treatment.

The flight to Los Angeles was cancelled.

"Experts are currently on site and inspecting the aircraft," Lufthansa said on Thursday.

The plane is expected to be moved as early as Thursday evening to a hangar "where further inspections will take place before the aircraft is repaired," the airline added.

According to the Aerotelegraph website, the damaged jet is only one year old and was delivered to Lufthansa in January.