The crew of a Boeing 747 cargo plane are feared dead after the aircraft crashed on a road shortly after taking off from Dubai Friday, a media report said.

The plane crashed near the Global Village on the Emirates Road setting some cars on fire, Khaleej Times reported citing Dubai Police.

Col. Omer Al Shamsi, deputy director of Operations Room of Dubai Police, said the plane belonging to UPS crashed two minutes after taking off from Dubai International Airport.

All crew members - believed to be between three and six - are feared dead.

A witness reported seeing a ball of fire near the road. Firefighters from various Dubai Civil Defence branches were trying to douse the blaze.