Eight people were killed after a US Air Force B-52 bomber crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert on Monday, the US military has confirmed.
The aircraft went down shortly after takeoff, at around 11:20 a.m. local time on Monday, bursting into flames and killing all eight people aboard.
Edwards Air Force Base said in a press release that "Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable. Emergency response personnel are on scene, and officials are working to account for all personnel. The crash is currently under investigation."
Among those who died were government contractors, uniformed military, and two Boeing employees.
James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 test wing at Edwards, said at a news conference: “We lost eight great Americans."
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, and Hayes said an investigation could take up to six months.
Edwards Air Force Base, the vast desert installation where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947, lies roughly 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles.
The incident comes nearly a year after a regional airliner flying over North Dakota was forced to make a sudden sharp turn to avoid a potential mid-air collision with a military B-52 that had entered its flight path.
Euronews is seeking further details and will update this article as more information becomes available.
