A crashed UPS cargo plane that killed at least three people and injured 11 crashed and exploded in a massive fireball Tuesday as it took off from the company’s global aviation hub in Louisville, Kentucky.
The plane crashed around 5:15 pm EST (3:45 am Thursday IST) while departing for Honolulu from the UPS Worldport at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport.
Disturbing footage of the crash has surfaced on social media, capturing the exact moment of the fatal incident. Video after the crash showed a plume of smoke rising from the airport.
Video released by US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shows flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke. The plane then rose slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball.
The video also revealed parts of the severed roof of the building next to the end of the runway.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the death toll was likely to rise. “Right now we believe we have at least three fatalities, although I believe that number will be even higher. We have at least 11 injuries, some of which are very serious,” he said.
“Anyone who has seen the pictures, the video, knows how violent this crash is,” Beshear said.
Video taken by bystanders shows several massive balls of flames exploding into the sky in a row, followed by large billowing clouds of black smoke.
A hostess at a nearby restaurant said she heard a “very loud boom”. “The mood in the restaurant was very shaken,” she said, adding that about 20 people were in the restaurant at the time.
“Everyone is really concerned. People who just sat down to eat got up and left in less than 30 minutes and packed their food because they wanted to hurry up and get home,” she told the AP.
The Louisville airport was closed and wasn’t expected to reopen until Wednesday morning. “We don’t know how long it will take to make the scene safe,” said Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey.
A shelter-in-place order has been extended to all areas north of the airport to the Ohio River. The Louisville Airport is just a 10-minute drive from downtown, which sits on a river bordering the Indiana state line.
