Luxor, Egypt - Five crew members were killed when their Ukrainian cargo aircraft caught fire on the tarmac at Luxor airport in southern Egypt Friday, local aviation authorities have said.

The cargo plane had been en-route to Ukraine and had landed at Luxor airport to be refuelled. It caught fire at the end of the runway while preparing for take-off, the sources added.

Egyptian Minister of Civil Aviation Ahmed Shafiq hurried to Luxor airport as investigations began, to determine the circumstances of the accident. (dpa)