Two employees at Frankfurt Airport in Germany have died from malaria after being infected by a mosquito believed to have arrived on an aircraft, according to the city’s health authorities. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s federal disease control agency, identified an imported Anopheles mosquito as the likely source of the infections.

In addition to the two fatalities, four other airport workers who contracted malaria have been hospitalized and are receiving treatment, an airport spokesman confirmed. The incident marks a rare occurrence of airport malaria in Germany; the RKI noted that the last known outbreak linked to airport transmission occurred in 2023.

In response to the outbreak, Frankfurt Airport officials have implemented mosquito traps as a preventive measure to control the presence of potentially infected insects. The RKI continues to monitor the situation closely to prevent further cases and mitigate risks associated with imported malaria at the international transit hub.