DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A UPS 747 cargo plane with two crew aboard crashed in Dubai shortly after takeoff Friday, the company said.
The crash set some cars on fire and killed several people, Al Arabiya television reported.
Ambulances were rushing to the area, located near a residential district, the station added.
The dead were thought to be the cargo plane's crew, Al Arabiya said.
A large section of the plane was visibly on fire before it crashed.
"UPS Flight 6 from Dubai, UAE, to Cologne, DE, a 747-400 with two crewmembers on board crashed on takeoff," the Atlanta-based company said in a statement.
Al Arabiya said the plane crashed on a highway, but the UAE's news agency said it was an unpopulated area.
In October 2009, a Sudanese Boeing 707 cargo plane crashed in the desert outside Dubai, killing six crew members.
UAE regulators have banned the plane's Sudanese owner from operating in the country.
This report will be updated as information becomes available.