BEIJING - A CARGO plane carrying seven crew crashed during take off in Shanghai on Saturday, injuring four, state media reported.

The accident happened at 7.40 am as the Zimbabwe-registered MD-11 aircraft was attempting to leave Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rescuers were still searching for three crew members trapped in the plane, it said.

The aircraft caught fire after crashing and set fire to a nearby storage facility at the airport, state television reported.

The television report said three crew members had been found and four were missing.