A UPS cargo plane on Tuesday crashed and exploded in a massive fireball 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 5:15pm as it was departing 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 lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball. Video also showed portions of a shredded roof next to the end of the runway.
Photo: AFP
The death toll had risen to at least seven on Tuesday night, and four of those killed were not on the plane, officials said.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said he expected the death toll to increase.
Eleven people were also hurt, some of whom had “very significant” injuries, he said.
Photo: Courtesy of X account @LeviDean98 via AFP
“Anybody who has seen the images, the video, knows how violent this crash is,” he said.
Beshear said he did not know the status of the three crew members aboard the plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 made in 1991.
UPS’ largest package handling facility is in Louisville and the company on Tuesday night announced it had halted package sorting at the center and did not 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 was shut down and was not expected to resume operations until yesterday morning.
The governor said a business, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, appeared to be “hit pretty directly,” and a nearby auto parts operation was also affected.
Eric Richardson stood outside a police training academy where people gathered looking for information about missing loved ones on Tuesday night, hoping to find out what had happened to his girlfriend.
She had been at a metal recycling business near the explosion and was not answering her phone, he said, adding that her phone’s live location said she was still there.
Bobby Whelan, Richardson’s friend, had been in front of her in line, but had left minutes before the explosion.
He said that he was about a quarter mile down the road when he heard what sounded like a bomb exploding.
“We don’t even want to think about anything but the best,” Whelan said. “All our friends were there.”
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