Eight people have been killed after a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber plane crashed immediately after take off from Edwards Air Force Base in southern California, base officials say, BBC reported.
The incident occurred at 11:20 local time (19:20 GMT) on Monday while the aircraft was on a routine test mission. The crash sent a huge plume of black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.
"Today, Edwards Air Force Base experienced a terrible tragedy, and we lost eight great Americans," Col James Hayes told reporters, describing them as a "mixed crew of military, government civilians and government contractors".
