At least 7 killed, 11 injured after UPS plane crashes near Louisville airport in US

A UPS freight plane crashed shortly after taking off from the Louisville airport in the US, leaving a fiery trail of destruction through businesses and roads where a massive plume of thick black smoke now stretches for miles, videos from CNN affiliate WAVE show, Report informs.

At least seven people have died and 11 were injured, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday, warning those numbers could climb as the investigation continues. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the three crew members on board the plane are assumed dead and four of the people confirmed dead were not on the plane.

Hundreds of firefighters have nearly contained the fire spreading over "a massive area," so they can "create a formal grid" to search the surroundings for potential victims, said Fire Department Chief Brian O'Neill.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the probe into the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday. The safety board announced it is launching a "go-team" to investigate. The team is scheduled to arrive in Kentucky on Wednesday with a crew of at least 28 people, said Dan Mann, the airport's executive director. "I expect they'll be here for several days, putting all this together, and there'll be multiple briefings," Mann said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the number of people killed in the UPS plane crash in Louisville is now at least seven and is expected to rise.

"The news out of Louisville is tough tonight as the death toll has now reached at least 7, with that number expected to rise," the governor said on X. "First responders are onsite and working hard to extinguish the fire and continue the investigation."

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in addition to the seven fatalities, 11 other people were injured.

"There are more than 100 firefighters from across the region still on the scene working to make it safe for everyone in our community," Greenberg said.