At least seven people have died after a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky on Tuesday evening.
The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, went down shortly after take-off around 5:15pm local time (10:15pm UK time), sparking a massive fire and sending thick plumes of smoke into the air.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear described the crash as “catastrophic” and urged residents to comply with emergency orders, including shelter-in-place directives.
In a later social media post, Mr Beshear confirmed that the death toll had risen from three to at least seven, warning that the number could increase further.
He said it had been a “tough night for the city.”
According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), three people were on board the plane, which was en route to Honolulu, Hawaii, and at least 11 people on the ground were injured.
The aircraft reportedly struck two buildings and was carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel at the time of impact.
More than 100 firefighters were deployed to contain the inferno, said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.
All flights in and out of the airport were suspended as the airfield was closed, with operations expected to resume on Wednesday morning. The airport also houses UPS Worldport, the global logistics company’s largest package-handling facility.
Mr Greenberg said the incident would be thoroughly investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), noting that a shortage of federal staff—linked to the prolonged government shutdown—had complicated emergency response efforts.
Authorities are yet to determine the cause of the crash.
