NEW YORK, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the cargo plane crash that occurred near Louisville International Airport on Tuesday has risen to 11, Andy Beshear, governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky, said Wednesday.
Among those killed, at least one is believed to be a child, and "there are a handful of other people that we're still searching for," Beshear told a news conference, adding that responders are moving from rescue mode to recovery mode.
Beshear has declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard in an effort to quickly free up resources, local media reported.
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation team has recovered the aircraft's "black boxes," namely the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, at the crash site.
Addressing a news briefing on Wednesday afternoon, NTSB member Todd Inman said a large plume of fire was observed near the left wing, and the left engine of the plane involved in the crash detached during takeoff, citing airport surveillance footage.
But the plane still managed to lift off, clearing the airport fence at the runway end and then crashing into structures and terrain off airport property. A post-impact fire spread approximately half a mile away.
The aircraft was neither delayed nor under immediate maintenance before departure, Inman said. The NTSB's maintenance group will verify this through records and cycles data.
The UPS cargo plane bound for Honolulu crashed near Louisville International Airport, the worldwide air hub for UPS, around 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday. ■