Further details have emerged following the crash of a Boeing 747-400 near the Dubai International Airport on Friday evening.

Early reports had suggested the United Parcel Service (UPS) cargo plane crashed on Emirates Road in the emirate of Dubai on Friday at 7.45pm local time, but further reports have confirmed the plane went down in a UAE military base near the busy motorway.

UPS Flight 6 took off from Dubai International Airport on Friday evening and encountered technical difficulties during the initial ascent, according to airport officials.

The pilots had reported a fire onboard and smoke in the cockpit before the plane crashed in a remote part of the military base, said Saif al Suwaidi, Director-General of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

Witnesses on the ground told Dubai news media the plane had seemed to drift to ground before exploding upon impact.

The Nad al Sheba Military Camp is in a mixed residential and commercial area of Dubai and it appears the pilots aimed for the vast military base in order to avoid ground casualties.

Both pilots were killed in the crash and their bodies were recovered by emergency services Friday night.

“This incident is very unfortunate and we will do everything we can to find the cause,” said Bob Lekites, UPS’ airline and international operations manager. “Our thoughts go out to the crew members involved in the incident and their families.”

UPS, a courier company based in Atlanta in the United States is working with UAE aviation experts to determine the cause of the crash.