At Least Seven Dead in Kentucky Plane Crash, Toll Expected to Rise

At least seven people have been killed after a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky on Tuesday evening.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, which was heading to Honolulu, went down shortly after takeoff around 5:15pm local time (10:15pm UK time). Photos from the scene showed flames and thick smoke rising into the air.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear called the crash “catastrophic” during a press conference and urged residents to follow shelter-in-place orders. He later confirmed in a social media post that the death toll had increased from three to at least seven, warning that it could climb further.

Three people were on board the plane, and 11 others on the ground were injured. Mayor Craig Greenberg said more than 100 firefighters were deployed to extinguish the blaze, as the aircraft had been carrying about 38,000 gallons of fuel and struck two buildings.

The airport, which houses UPS’s massive Worldport package handling hub, temporarily suspended all flights and closed the airfield. It is expected to reopen on Wednesday morning.