UPS plane crash death toll rises to 13 as authorities begin identifying some victims

The death toll from the UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, has risen to 13, officials said Thursday. 

"On my way to the Teamsters' vigil, I learned of a 13th person that died as a result of the UPS flight 2976 plane crash," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg wrote in a social media post. "My heart is with the families, friends and colleagues of all who were lost in this week's tragedy. We will get through this together."

None of the crash victims have been positively identified by the local coroner yet, National Transportation Safety Board officials said during a news briefing Thursday afternoon. Earlier Thursday, Greenberg said nine people were still unaccounted for following the crash.

On Wednesday, the University of Louisville Hospital said two of 15 people who were brought to the hospital for treatment following the incident were in critical condition. It was unclear if the latest victim was one of those who had been hospitalized, or whether their remains were located by search crews at the crash site. CBS News has reached out to the mayor's office for clarification. 

The deceased are believed to include the three people aboard the plane, who were identified Thursday by UPS as Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond. 

"Words can't express the sorrow we feel over the heartbreaking Flight 2976 accident," Nando Cesarone, UPS executive vice president, said in a statement.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Freighter had been cleared for takeoff on Tuesday from UPS Worldport, the company's global aviation hub at Louisville International Airport, when a large fire developed in the left wing and an engine fell off, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.

The ensuing crash and inferno destroyed the enormous cargo hauler and spread to nearby businesses, causing even more blasts and destruction in an industrial corridor just outside the airport.

Greenberg described the crash site as "horrific," with "charred, mangled metal." Part of the plane's tail, he said, appeared to be sticking out of a storage silo.

"You hear people say, 'Oh, you only see that in the movies.' This was worse than the movies," Greenberg told reporters.