SHANGHAI -- A Zimbabwe-registered cargo plane bound for Kyrgyzstan crashed on takeoff from Shanghai's main airport Saturday morning, killing crew members, according to reports.

Three American crew members were killed, the Associated Press reported, citing a U.S. Embassy spokesman. Another four crew were injured in the incident, which Chinese officials said is being investigated.

Shanghai television showed billows of black smoke rising high in the sky. Footage also showed the wrecked MD-11 fuselage laying in a wet field adjacent the to the Chinese city's main international airport.

London-based Avient Ltd. said on its Web site that its Zimbabwe-based aviation division operated the MD-11 freighter aircraft with a seven person crew and that "preliminary information indicates that the accident occurred on takeoff." It described the flight as a charter freight flight but offered no additional details.

The MD-11 cargo plane was registered in Zimbabwe and heading to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, according to China's news agency Xinhua.