USA Death toll in US plane crash rises to twelve
The death toll following the crash of a cargo plane in the US state of Kentucky continues to rise. At least twelve people died on board the plane and on the ground, US media reported, citing official sources. Governor Andy Beshear said that a small child was among the victims.
06.11.2025, 09:37
SDA
According to official figures, more than a dozen people were also injured. Some of them were seriously injured - they suffered burns, smoke inhalation and splinter injuries. The cause of the crash on the outskirts of the city of Louisville remains unclear.
According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft took off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport at around 5.15 p.m. (local time) on Tuesday. Images from the scene of the accident show that it crashed not far from the runway over an industrial area and burst into a fireball. The US logistics company UPS announced that three crew members were on board the company's own cargo plane.
Authorities expect more deaths
According to the rescue services, several people are still missing. However, it is no longer expected that survivors will be found, Governor Beshear said at a press conference on Wednesday. "We are switching from rescue mode to recovery mode." According to the governor, identifying the dead is proving difficult due to their condition. Beshear said that the three crew members were probably among the victims. The rest of the dead were people on the ground.
The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) said, citing a video, that the left engine caught fire during takeoff and fell off the wing, leading to the large fire. The flight recorder and the flight data recorder have been recovered.
According to the FAA, the long-haul aircraft was on its way almost 7,000 kilometers to an airport in Honolulu on the US archipelago of Hawaii. It was fully fueled and reportedly had 144,000 liters of fuel on board. According to the authorities, the crash site is in the vicinity of a recycling and car parts company.
