A drone carrying an explosive device has been found at a German airport, police say.

A robot was deployed at Leipzig/Halle Airport after the device was spotted in the cargo operation area overnight, according to Saxony police. Some reports suggest it was near a Ukrainian aircraft.

Officers said that a second unidentified object also collided with a cargo plane after it had taken off from the airport. The plane was diverted to Hanover, where minor damage was detected.

Flights were initially suspended at the airport after the drone was detected, but one runway has since been cleared for use, while the airport’s other runway was not not due to be used on Wednesday.

Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster has described it as a “very serious security incident”.

According to police, the drone was spotted overnight in the security area of the airport’s cargo operations, close to the south runway.

Police examined the drone with the explosive-detection robot, and the detonator was removed from the device.