HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- A Boeing 747 cargo plane crashed on takeoff at Halifax airport early Thursday, killing the seven crew aboard, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., reported.
The 20-year-old MK Airlines aircraft ended up in a rock quarry with debris extending into a wooded are past the end of runway 6 around 3:50 a.m. Atlantic time.
The unidentified crew were from Zimbabwe, South Africa and Britain.
The flight was carrying tractors and general cargo, and had stopped in Halifax from Bradley, N.Y., to pick up a load of seafood before heading to Zaragosa, Spain.
The plane also refueled, and was carrying some 50,000 gallons of fuel for the trans-Atlantic flight. Because of that, it took firefighters some three hours to bring the fire under control.
There were unconfirmed reports the plane's tail struck the runway while it was lifting off, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it's not known for sure if the plane ever managed to get off the ground.
The airport, about 20 miles outside Halifax, was shut down and the electricity turned off for three hours. Full operations resumed five hours after the crash.
