Dubai plane crash kills two

A UPS cargo plane with two crew members on board crashed shortly after takeoff yesterday outside Dubai, officials said.

The state news agency WAM, quoting the General Civil Aviation Authority, reported that the “bodies of two pilots” had been found at the scene, but UPS did not confirm that.

The plane went down inside an Emirati air base near a busy highway intersection about 16km southeast of Dubai’s international airport.

WAM said the crash occurred in an unpopulated desert area, suggesting there may not have been casualties on the ground.

Smoke rose from the crash site, which was shielded from the highway by walls. Migrant labourers from a nearby camp gathered along the roadside to watch.

UPS spokeswoman Kristen Petrella said the Boeing 747-400 was en route to the UPS hub in Cologne. The plane had two crew members but the company has not confirmed any casualties.