BERLIN, November 30 -- German investigators are checking whether there was any criminal cause behind the malfunction of a plane carrying Chancellor Angela Merkel to the G20 summit in Argentina.
Merkel was on her way from Germany to the summit when the government's Airbus A340 made an unscheduled but safe landing at Cologne-Bonn airport late on Thursday. Merkel called the incident a "serious malfunction". She and German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz were due to resume their travel to Buenos Aires early on Friday, but they will arrive after G20 leaders start their discussions. Rheinische Post, citing security sources, said the government was checking whether the incident had a "criminal background", though the sources added that investigators would typically look "in all directions" after such an incident. Der Spiegel magazine said the government plane's entire communication system malfunctioned, constituting a serious emergency, with the crew forced to plan the landing using an on-board satellite phone. Last night, a plane carrying the German Chancellor to the Group of 20 meeting in Argentina has been forced to make an unscheduled landing after developing technical problems. The German news agency dpa reported that the government Airbus, which was en route to Buenos Aires, turned around over the Netherlands about an hour into the flight. It says the aircraft landed safely in Cologne in western Germany. It is understood that German government aircraft will carry the two officials to Madrid today, where they will switch to a commercial flight for the final leg, sources said.
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