(MENAFN- IANS) New York, Nov 5 (IANS) At least three people were killed and 11 were injured when a cargo plane crashed shortly after taking off from Louisville International Airport in the US state of Kentucky, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said.

"We believe we have at least three fatalities. I believe that number is going to get larger," Beshear said at a press briefing.

"UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 4, after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation and will provide all updates. This information is preliminary and subject to change., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on X.

As the plane exploded into a huge fireball, some responders "have had to shelter behind different things," Beshear said.

"It is still a very dangerous situation with different flammables or potentially explosive materials."

The police first issued a shelter-in-place for all locations within 5 miles of the airport, later extending it to cover all areas north of the airport to the Ohio River.

The plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F manufactured in 1991, can take off weighing in at a maximum 633,000 pounds and carrying more than 38,000 gallons of fuel, according to Boeing, which bought McDonnell Douglas, Xinhua news agency reported.

Authorities ordered residents within a five-mile radius of the airport to shelter in place around 5:30 p.m., later expanding the directive. According to a post on X from the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD),“All areas north of the airport to the Ohio River are now included in the shelter-in-place order. Please avoid the area.”

Investigators are still working to determine what caused the UPS cargo plane to crash near Louisville. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are jointly leading the investigation into why the MD-11 aircraft went down shortly after taking off.

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