A UPS wide-body cargo plane crashed and erupted into a fireball shortly after takeoff on Tuesday from the international airport in Louisville, Kentucky, killing seven people, including all three aboard the aircraft, and injuring 11 others on the ground, officials said.
Flames from the crash, which occurred shortly before sundown, ignited a string of fires on the ground in an industrial corridor adjacent to the airport, forcing authorities to halt airport operations through the night, according to officials.
The Louisville airport, which is home to UPS Worldport — a global hub for shipping company’s air cargo operations and its largest package-handling facility worldwide — was expected to reopen on Wednesday morning. Debris from the crash was left strewn across two runways.
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