The death toll from the UPS plane crash near the Louisville, KY, airport has risen to nine, and 15 people were injured.
Unfortunately, 16 people are still missing.
Gov. Andy Beshear believes those numbers will rise.
Thirteen people have left the hospital, but two remain in critical condition.
The plane headed to Honolulu, HI, crashed on Tuesday around 5:15 PM local time. The left wing caught on fire. From WLKY:
It was fully loaded with fuel for the long flight.Video shows flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke as it lifted briefly off the ground before skidding off the runway.The plane crashed in a massive fireball, with fire and debris quickly spreading over an industrial area near the end of the runway.Multiple businesses were impacted, according to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, including Kentucky Petroleum Recycling which was hit “pretty directly.” A second business, Grade A Auto Parts, was also impacted, the governor said.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
Authorities issued a shelter-in-place “quarter mile radius of 7501 Grade Lane, the city’s hazardous waste drop-off just south of the airport.”
They also advised people and businesses within that area “to turn off any air in-take systems (heat or air conditioning) as soon as possible.”
The fire department put out all the fires by 11 PM ET.
The plane did not have any hazardous materials.
However, hazardous materials were found around the crash site.
“We are terribly saddened by the accident tonight in Louisville. Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved. UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers.”We are engaged with the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the accident and are staying in close contact with the Federal Aviation Administration. We will work tirelessly with state and local authorities on response efforts.”As a result of the accident, we are halting operations tonight at Worldport. The Next Day Air sort has been cancelled and employees should not report to work tonight.”
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