LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Federal investigators report that a UPS cargo plane’s left wing ignited, and its engine detached shortly before the aircraft crashed and exploded following takeoff in Kentucky.

The catastrophic incident on Tuesday resulted in the complete destruction of the plane and caused a fire that spread to adjacent businesses in Louisville.

Tragically, authorities have confirmed that at least 12 individuals have lost their lives, with several others still unaccounted for. Among the deceased was a young child, underscoring the heartbreaking nature of the incident.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear solemnly stated, “We do not expect to find anyone else alive in the area,” and indicated that the death toll is likely to increase.

Three people were aboard when the plane crashed as it took off for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. Video showed flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke.

Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, spoke to reporters Wednesday.

Officials on Wednesday morning said that nine victims have been found at the site of the UPS plane crash, but warned that the death toll could rise. 

The search for more victims resumed at daybreak on Wednesday. So far, 16 families reported missing family members, according to Beshear.

“Because of the nature of these facilities, it may be some time before we can account for everyone or know that no one else was on the grounds,” Beshear said.

The governor later added in a news conference that he expects the victim count to rise by at least one. 

Emergency officials initially put out a shelter-in-place order for a 5-mile radius. By Wednesday morning, they shrunk it to just a quarter-mile radius as officials monitored the air quality,

Over 200 responders were on the scene Tuesday night, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said.

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.

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

Beshear said a business, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, appeared to be “hit pretty directly,” and a nearby auto parts operation was also affected. He said the crash narrowly missed a restaurant bar, a Ford plant, and the city’s convention center that was hosting a livestock show.

UPS’s largest package handling facility is in Louisville and the company announced Tuesday night that it had halted package sorting at the center 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.”

The airport, meanwhile, shut down for the night. It resumed operations Wednesday morning, with at least one runway open. Flights that were canceled Tuesday were scheduled to depart and arrive first. Some flights previously scheduled to take off from the airport Wednesday morning were canceled.

Some stranded passengers spent the night in the airport.

Some roads near the airport remained closed Wednesday and a public school district in Louisville canceled classes and activities for the day.

Pablo Rojas, an aviation attorney, said that based on the videos it looked like the aircraft was struggling to gain altitude as a fire blazed on its left side around one of its engines. Given the large amount of fuel it was carrying, once the fire started in that area, it would’ve been only a matter of time before there was an explosion or the fire grew rapidly.

“Really the plane itself is almost acting like a bomb because of the amount of fuel,” he said.

The governor said a business, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, appeared to be “hit pretty directly,” and a nearby auto parts operation was also affected.

Officials said the cause of the crash remains unclear. The FAA and NTSB are investigating.

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