What we know about the deadly UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky

At least 11 people were killed after a cargo plane skidded off the runway and caught fire Tuesday in Kentucky.

The plane, operated by US delivery company UPS, crashed into several buildings after one of its engines caught fire and crashed during take-off. Officials fear the death toll and injury could rise.

Here's everything we know so far.

UPS Flight 2976, an MD-11F cargo plane, crashed on takeoff at Louisville International Airport around 5:15 p.m. local time Tuesday, skidding off the runway and hitting nearby buildings. It was bound for Honolulu, Hawaii, with three crew members on board.

The plane caught fire and the debris damaged at least two nearby businesses, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

Kentucky Petroleum Recycling was hit “fairly directly,” Beshear said, and a second business, Grade A Auto Parts, was also hit.

Unverified footage of the incident shows the plane was already engulfed in flames when it skidded off the runway.

The flames spread to several buildings near the runway and authorities launched a major operation to stop the fire from spreading further.

Residents in nearby areas were ordered to stay inside due to fears of further explosions and air pollution. The airport is located in Kentucky's largest city and is surrounded by several neighborhoods and business districts.

All operations at the airport were stopped, but the runway reopened to flights on Wednesday.

Officials have confirmed 11 deaths so far but warned the number is expected to rise.

It is unclear if that death toll includes the three crew members who were on board and presumed dead.

Eleven more people were injured and are being treated in hospital, but local officials say that figure is likely to rise.

Andy Beshear said Wednesday that 16 different families reported their loved ones missing.

Local officials said they were unsure how many victims they were looking for and that the search would be challenging because the area of ​​debris was so large.

The local fire chief said he was not aware of anyone trapped in nearby buildings, but the search was still ongoing.

As of Tuesday evening, two workers at the auto plant where the strike occurred were still unaccounted for, and it was unknown how many customers were on the premises when the accident occurred.

A preliminary investigation is ongoing, but officials said it is too early to say what caused the crash, although surveillance footage and data from the plane are helping to piece the story together.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates such crashes, recovered the cockpit flight recorder and the flight data recorder, known as the black box, from the wreckage.

Surveillance footage from the crash shows the plane's left engine “separating from the wing during the takeoff roll,” said Todd Inman of the NTSB. The video has not yet been published.

He said the plane was able to get off the ground and clear a guardrail at the end of the runway before it crashed into several businesses surrounding the airport.

The crash caused a fire that burned about a half-mile, Inman said.

The massive fire was caused by the amount of fuel on board the plane, which was about 4,300 miles (6,920 km) away from Hawaii.

The plane had 38,000 gallons (144,000 liters) of fuel on board at the time of the crash.

Additional online video from the crash site shows part of the wing on fire.

It was not confirmed what cargo was on board, although officials said there was nothing on board the plane that would pose an increased risk of infection.

Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill said the amount of fuel spilled at the crash site made the situation “very dangerous.”

The order warning people to shelter in place was cut from five miles from the airport to a one-mile radius as crews worked to put out the fire Tuesday evening.

The aircraft model was the large three-engine MD-11F, which first entered service 34 years ago.

Inman said the plane was manufactured in 1991 and was later converted for use as a freighter.