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The total count of victims due to the UPS cargo plane that ignited and went down has now climbed to 13, according to official statements.

Mayor's Statement

While en route to the Teamsters’ candlelight gathering, I received word of a additional fatality that died as a outcome of the aircraft incident,” expressed the local official in a public communication. “My prayers are with the families, friends and peers of all who were taken in this recently occurred disaster. We will get through this together.”

Casualties Named

An announcement from the company named the flight crew on board the jet as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond.

“Our thoughts are extended to all UPSer who has been impacted and all in our local area – assisting you and ensuring you obtain the care and aid you need is our priority,” the company’s communication stated.

Probe Updates

National authorities revealed that the UPS cargo plane’s wing ignited and an engine fell off shortly after liftoff from the aviation hub, resulting in the aircraft to plummet and explode into a fireball.

The National Transportation Safety Board stated it is investigating the jet’s upkeep logs, which was in Texas for maintenance weeks ahead of the crash.

Flight tracking records indicated the plane was on the runway in that location from the start of last month to mid-October.

“We are knowledgeable that this plane was present in San Antonio,” stated an official on Thursday, without providing a exact period. “We will review each aspect of maintenance that was performed, from the San Antonio period, right up to the day of the flight.”

Retrieval of Key Items

The pilot’s recorder and flight data recorder were found, and the power plant was found on the airfield.

The devices – called black boxes – were designed to survive crash impacts and intense fire from blazes, and they seemed to be in one piece when found amid the wreckage. Authorities plan on examining information from the black boxes.

Aircraft’s concluding flight details showed an height of 475 feet and a rate of 210 mph prior to the crash.

Repair Record

According to Federal Aviation Administration records dated 18 September, a fracture on a structural piece inside the tank area required fixes.

The company ST Engineering, which stated it provides aircraft servicing for UPS’s jet and manages a maintenance center in that city, declined to comment, but stated it would assist completely when investigators approached it.

Activities Resume

In the meantime, UPS Worldport services continued Wednesday night with its Next Day Air also known as night sort operation, representative the company official stated. Each of the three runways at the aviation hub were additionally reopened.

The distribution hub in Louisville is the firm’s largest. The center engages over 20,000 workers in the locality, manages numerous trips per day and processes in excess of 400,000 parcels each hour.

Local Support

A gathering was conducted on the late afternoon of that date by the area Teamsters Union, which represents staff at the aviation hub, the company’s primary air cargo hub.

Teamsters Local 89, which represents staff, started the gathering with a moment of silence at that time, the approximate hour of the accident before.

“This event was so sudden, so surprising,” the mayor told the group of 200. “No one had a chance to part to any one of those who we have mourned.”