UPS said in a statement that: "At approximately 5:20 pm ET yesterday, November 4, UPS Flight 2976 from Louisville, KY, to Honolulu (an MD-11 cargo aircraft with three crewmembers on board), was involved in an accident in Louisville". At the time the statement was issued there were no confirmations yet regarding injuries/fatalities. The company nonetheless stressed that the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) is in charge of the investigation, and that it will be the primary official source of information on the probe.

In addition to being engaged in the NTSB investigation, UPS remains in close contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and will cooperate with state and local authorities.

In the latest update, according to statements made yesterday by Governor Andy Beshear and confirmed today, there are seven victims (the three on board and four on the ground) and eleven injured at the time of writing.

According to initial findings the aircraft, registration N259UP, reportedly suffered, during takeoff, the detachment of the left engine from the wing, which, by causing a loss of control, led the airplane to crash into industrial buildings located on the airport premises. A fire followed, ignited by fuel-filled tanks. Hence the fatalities and the injured on the ground, a number that could tragically increase. Hundreds of firefighters intervened to contain and extinguish the large fire that spread over "a wide area" and are currently working to search for any additional victims, fire officials said last night.

Today the arrival of an investigative team of at least 28 people is expected, an airport official said. The team will also include personnel from Boeing, which will cooperate with the NTSB investigation because the aircraft involved, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F, is a freighter originally built by McDonnell Douglas, a company that merged with Boeing in 1997.

"Muhammad Ali" International Airport is expected to reopen today, according to Mayor Craig Greenberg during a press conference yesterday.

Below, in the video posted on-line by The Sun, the stages of the incident: