A cargo plane with three crew on board has crashed on take-off from the main airport in Louisville, Kentucky, with video showing widespread fire consuming buildings near the airport and smoke billowing into the sky.

At least four people have been killed in what Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said was a “catastrophic crash”. It was not immediately clear who the confirmed fatalities were.

There were also 11 injuries, and “some of them are very significant”, Beshear said. “Again, I think that number will get larger”.

The flight, UPS2976, was a wide-body McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft bound for Honolulu, Hawaii. Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville is UPS’s worldwide hub.

The US Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the crash occurred on take-off about 5.15pm on Tuesday (

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