A massive UPS plane exploded as it took off from Kentucky Tuesday evening, leaving multiple people injured and sending a massive plume of smoke spreading across the city as fires blazed for nearly a mile.
The plane exploded around 5.15pm as it departed Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, heading toward Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, WLKY reports.
It remains unclear what may have caused the explosion, but a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN it involved a UPS MD-11 plane.
Video shared to social media showed a ball of fire emanating from the center of the plane just moments after it departed the runway.
Locals then reported a loud explosion that was heard throughout Louisville, with a MetroSafe supervisor telling WDRB the incident began with calls about an explosion, and Louisville Metro Police spokesman Matt Sanders saying the department received 20 calls for service.
Louisville Metro Police have since announced on social media that several agencies are responding to the scene south of the airport, as residents shared photos of smoke filling the sky.
Authorities said it remains an active scene with ‘smoke and debris,’ as they issued a shelter-in-place order for a five mile radius around the airport, which was later expanded north of the airport.
‘Please remain away from the area until further notice,’ the police department urged.
Multiple people were injured when a plane crashed near a Kentucky airport on Tuesday, sending a massive plume of smoke across the city
The explosion caused a fire to spread out for nearly a mile in Louisville
The crash reportedly involved a UPS MD-11 plane
The collision came just hours after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Democrats are making air travel unsafe by forcing air traffic controllers to go without pay through the longest government shutdown in US history.
She urged just five Democrats in the Senate to join Republicans in voting for a ‘clean continuing resolution’ to extend funding for the government and make sure that Americans who control plane movements at US airports are paid going into the busiest travel season of the year.
Authorities have issued a shelter-in-place order around the international airport
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
