At least 7 dead, 11 injured in UPS plane crash and explosion at Kentucky airport

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded in a massive fireball Tuesday while taking off from the company’s global aviation hub in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least seven people and injuring 11, authorities said.

The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

Video showed flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke. The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball. Video also revealed portions of a building’s shredded roof next to the end of the runway.

The death toll had risen to at least seven Tuesday night, and four of those killed were not on the plane, officials said.

Among the 11 who were hurt, some had “very significant” injuries, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said.

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“Anybody who has seen the images, the video, knows how violent this crash is,” he said.

Beshear said he didn’t know the status of the three crew members aboard the plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 made in 1991.

UPS’s largest package handling facility is in Louisville and the company announced Tuesday night that it had halted package sorting at the centre and didn’t say when it would resume.

The hub employs thousands of workers, has 300 daily flights and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.

“We all know somebody who works at UPS,” Louisville Metro Council member Betsy Ruhe said.

“And they’re all texting their friends, their family, trying to make sure everyone is safe. Sadly, some of those texts are probably going to go unanswered.”

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg says the National Transportation Safety Board is handling the investigation and sending 28 people.

The airport, meanwhile, was shut down and wasn’t expected to resume operations until Wednesday morning.

“We don’t know how long it’s going to take to render that scene safe,” said Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey.