LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency after at least nine people died when a UPS cargo plane crashed at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Nov. 4.
Beshear updated the death toll from seven to nine on Nov. 5 and warned that the number may go up.
"I'm now fairly confident that that number will grow by at least one," Beshear said during his weekly Team Kentucky update.
"We hope it doesn't grow by too many more. I believe that by this afternoon, we'll have a pretty good grasp of both the number of fatalities and if there are any ... missing persons that we're still looking for."
The state of emergency will provide quick access to resources through the National Guard and Emergency Management, as well as covering expenses related to the response.
Beshear established the Team Kentucky Emergency Relief Fund to support impacted communities.
"The first thing we pay for out of these funds is funerals, so at a time of grief, nobody is worried about that," Beshear said.
"In Kentucky, we grieve together and we support one another."
Sixteen families responded to the victim-family reunification center at the Louisville Metro Police Training Academy, but the Democratic governor said that does not match the number of patients in the hospital.
Beshear gave an update about the crash, saying 11 people were injured.
"We've got to continue and search that site and hope and pray for the best, knowing that there may be more loss of life that we will learn about today," he said.
Beshear will survey the damage with Mayor Craig Greenberg on Wednesday and address the media afterward.
More than 200 first responders were on the scene overnight, actively searching for victims after the fire was contained.
A shelter-in-place was reduced to a quarter-mile radius surrounding the crash site on Wednesday morning, which cancelled all Jefferson County Public Schools.
The city of Louisville is urging residents and businesses not to drink water if they are close to the crash site
UPS Flight 2976 from Louisville to Honolulu crashed at approximately 5:20 p.m. ET on Nov. 4. It hit two small businesses, including Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and Grade A Auto Parts.
UPS Communications confirmed that a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 with three crewmembers onboard was involved in the crash.
The global shipping company would not confirm whether the UPS workers on the plane were the fatalities reported.
Residents nearby are told to report any debris they see through a public portal.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived on scene on Wednesday morning, and the search for a cause is expected to take some time due to the large amount of debris.
The Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport was closed after a UPS plane crashed on Nov. 4, 2025.
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport reopened on Wednesday, but officials urged travelers to closely monitor their flight status because delays and cancellations were likely.
Only one runway is operational as of noon on Nov. 5.
The Epoch Times contacted the Department of Transportation and asked whether there were staffing shortages in any department at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport that worked with UPS at the time of the crash.
The agency's press office did not comment directly but forwarded statements by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.