At least nine people were killed and several others injured after a UPS plane crashed: Louisville KY
Published by RawNews1st
The death toll rose on Wednesday morning, as Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg said on social media that first responders had located nine victims at the crash site. Officials had previously said the death toll was at least seven
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed the increased death toll in a post on social media and said there is “the possibility of more” fatalities. Greenberg said Tuesday night that at least four people had been killed on the ground. UPS said the plane had a crew of three.
At least 11 people were injured, officials said earlier. Beshear wrote on Wednesday that 16 families have reported loved ones who are unaccounted for. Search and rescue operations began overnight and are continuing this morning, he said.
UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time after it departed from the Louisville airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to preliminary flight data from FlightRadar24, the three-engine McDonnell Douglas MD-11 plane appeared to hit 175 feet in altitude briefly after takeoff.
Louisville Fire Chief Brian O’Neill said the plane was carrying about 38,000 gallons of fuel, weighing about 233,000 pounds. That likely led to the significant fire as seen from CBS affiliate WLKY-TV‘s chopper. The plane was also carrying up to 20,000 packages.
Videos of the crash showed the aircraft partially on fire as it sped down the runway before it burst into flames. Other images suggest the plane’s left engine separated from the plane during the fire. Debris from the separation may have been sucked into another engine, meaning the plane could not generate sufficient lift to take off.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the fiery crash site, Greenberg said, and were still battling hot spots as of Tuesday night. Over 200 first responders were at the scene, Greenberg said.
Beshear said there was no hazardous cargo onboard the plane that would create environmental issues around the crash site, but urged residents to follow any shelter-in-place orders. There is still a shelter-in-place order for those within a quarter-mile radius of the crash site, Greenberg said Wednesday morning. All schools in the Jefferson County School District, the state’s largest with just under 100,000 students, will be closed Wednesday, Greenberg said.
