NEW YORK, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- A UPS freight plane crashed on Tuesday after taking off from an airport in Louisville, Kentucky, a southeastern U.S. state, killing at least seven people and causing a fire that spread over "a massive area," local authorities said.

UPS Flight 2976, carrying 38,000 gallons of jet fuel and three crew members, crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time (2215 GMT), shortly after departing Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Governor Andy Beshear said that the "catastrophic crash" left at least seven people dead and 11 others injured, noting the number is expected to rise. He added that the plane crashed near the airport, hitting two businesses and affecting others in the area.

Video from the scene showed a large fire and a thick plume of black smoke rising from the crash site.

Louisville's Fire Chief Brian O'Neill said hundreds of firefighters have nearly contained the fire and are searching the area "grid by grid" for potential victims.

The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the crash. ■