BEIJING--Three American crew members were killed and four other crew were injured when a cargo plane crashed during take-off in Shanghai on Saturday, officials said.

The accident happened at 8:12 am (0012 GMT) as the Zimbabwe-registered MD-11 aircraft was attempting to leave Shanghai Pudong International Airport for Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, Xinhua news agency reported.

The death of the Americans was confirmed by the US embassy.

An embassy spokesman said three Americans were killed and a fourth was in hospital along with the three other injured crew.

Xinhua said the 61-year-old American man was seriously injured with bone fractures and a punctured lung.

"If there is no complication, he is expected to be out of danger within 48 to 72 hours," Sun Wanju, deputy head of the People's Hospital of Pudong New Area, told the news agency.

The other three injured crew men were from Indonesia, Belgium and Zimbabwe. They had suffered bone fractures and contusions, Xinhua reported.

The charter aircraft veered off the runway during take-off and burst into flames, setting fire to a nearby storage facility, state television reported.

Authorities closed two runways after the accident, later reopening one, delaying 68 flights and leaving thousands of passengers stranded, Xinhua said.

By mid-afternoon flight services were "basically" back to normal, Xinhua said, citing an airport official.

Television footage showed billowing thick smoke at the scene and police blocking access.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China had sent staff to the airport to investigate the accident, Xinhua said.

Airport authorities could not be reached for comment.