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United States authorities have warned people to shelter indoors after a cargo plane crashed shortly after take-off amid fears the death toll would likely rise.
Footage posted on social media showed the UPS plane with its wing on fire, crashing and exploding into a fireball shortly after taking off from Louisville airport at 5.14pm Tuesday local time (9.14am Wednesday AEDT).
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said at least seven people had been killed and several more injured but he expected that figure to grow.
Several buildings in an industrial area beyond the runway were on fire after the crash, with thick black smoke rising into the evening sky.
Officials have issued a warning about environmental pollution following a fire, advising residents within an 8-kilometer radius of the airport to remain indoors while firefighters work to extinguish the flames.
A fire and plume of smoke rise from the site where a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Airport on Tuesday night. This image is credited to Stephen Cohen via Getty Images.
“Please stay away from the area. Allow those first responders to do their job, to make sure that scene is as safe as possible,” Louisville police chief Paul Humphrey said at a press conference.
Beshear said the death toll would likely grow.
“Right now we believe we have at least three fatalities. I believe that number is going to get larger. We have at least 11 injuries, some of them very significant that are being treated by local hospitals,” he said.
“Anybody who has seen the images in the video knows how violent this crash is.”
The cargo plane was travelling to Honolulu, Hawaii, and no hazardous material was onboard the aircraft.
The airport is home to UPS Worldport, a global hub for the company’s air cargo operations and its largest package handling facility in the world.
— With reporting by the Reuters news agency.
