DUBAI, United Arab Emirates_A Sudanese cargo plane crashed Wednesday shortly after takeoff from Sharjah International Airport north of Dubai, killing the entire six-member crew but causing no other casualties on the ground, an official said.

The Boeing 707 went down in an unpopulated area about two miles (three kilometers) from the airport, said Sheik Khalid al-Qassimi, director of the Sharjah department of civil aviation.

Al-Qassimi said the crew did not survive, but the crash site was in a stretch of desert with "no buildings, nothing" nearby.

"The place is contained. All the fires are extinguished," said al-Qassimi. "We are the picking up bits and pieces for the investigation."

Al-Qassimi had no other details on the carrier, but said the flight was bound for Sudan. The Boeing 707 model airplane was primarily in use during the 1960s and 1970s.

The airport is located southeast of central Sharjah, a teeming city bordering Dubai that is home to many low-wage workers in the Middle East business hub.

It was once one of the main airports in the lower Gulf, but has long since been eclipsed by Dubai's growing airport.

Dubai International Airport, the Middle East's busiest, is located about 10 miles southwest of Sharjah airport.

Sharjah's airstrip is primarily used for cargo flights and by low-cost carriers. Air Arabia, the Mideast's biggest budget airline, is based at the airport.

The airport handles at least 1,800 aircraft and some 100,000 passengers every month, according to its Web site.

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