Crew killed as MK Airlines cargo jet crashes in Halifax

Crew killed as MK Airlines cargo jet crashes in Halifax    Investigators continue to probe the wreckage of a Ghanaian-registered MK Airlines Boeing 747 cargo plane that crashed early Thursday while taking off from Halifax, in Nova Scotia.
   According to unofficial reports, the jet's tail struck the runway while the plane was lifting off. The severed tail was found in a field at the end of the runway. The plane then cut a swath through nearby woods. All of the crew died in the crash.
   MK Airlines, a provider of air cargo services, told Reuters in Accra, Ghana, that six persons had been on the plane. Halifax authorities reported that seven had died. Crew members came from Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
   Eyewitnesses reported hearing an explosion and seeing a massive fireball caused by the plane's 200,000 liters of fuel. The blaze took 60 firefighters and 20 foam-pumping trucks three hours to extinguish.
   The 20-year-old MK Airlines 747, described as 'an absolute gem' with 'an exemplary service record' by airline spokesman Steve Anderson, had first loaded freight in New York. The plane stopped in Halifax to pick up a shipment of seafood while en route to Zaragosa, Spain.
   MK Airlines has been operating in Ghana since 1994, with 16 planes registered in the former British colony. The airline had been flying out of the Halifax airport once a week for the past 18 months.
   Because of reports of an explosion, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it was treating the crash as a potential criminal investigation.