Several injured in Boeing 787 nose-gear collapse in Frankfurt

FRANKFURT, June 4 (Reuters) - Several staff members were injured when the nose gear of a Boeing 787 jetliner unexpectedly collapsed at a gate at Frankfurt airport on Thursday, its operator Lufthansa said.

"Passengers had not yet boarded," a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement, adding that crew members and ground staff were on board the aircraft at the time of the incident, which was first reported by Bloomberg News.

"Several staff members were injured and are currently receiving medical treatment," the company added.

A Boeing spokesperson said the company was aware of the incident and was supporting its customer but offered no further detail.

A Reuters photographer saw multiple emergency vehicles parked around the two-engine widebody aircraft, which partly lay on its belly.

The incident occurred at 12:45 p.m. (1045 GMT), and the jet was scheduled to depart for Los Angeles as flight LH450, Lufthansa said.

"We are currently investigating the exact circumstances with the relevant authorities," the company added.

The 787, of which Lufthansa operates the 787-9 variant, is a relatively new addition for the group, which is planning to gradually phase out less efficient jets and simplify its fleet.

(Reporting by Kai Pfaffenbach in Frankfurt, Thomas Seythal in Berlin and David Shepardson, editing by Linda Pasquini, Kirsten Donovan)