Eight people have been killed after a United States Air Force bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an American base, officials have said.
The B-52 Stratofortress came down shortly after taking off from the Edwards Air Force Base in California just after 11.20am local time on Monday (7.20pm UK time).
The base said in a statement that the bomber had been carrying eight people during a "routine test mission" when it crashed.
"We lost eight great Americans," James Hayes, the deputy commander at the base, said at a news conference.
He added: "After reviewing the footage of the crash, it was deemed that this was an unrecoverable crash and unsurvivable.
"This is a tragedy - something we never plan for, but we're always prepared for."
He said the "mixed crew" on board the Boeing-built aircraft consisted of government civilians, contractors and uniformed military personnel.
In a statement, Boeing confirmed that two of its employees were among the eight people on board.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, however, an investigation, which Mr Hayes said could take up to six months, is currently under way.
Video from the scene showed a huge plume of black smoke rising near the base, which is located in the Mojave Desert, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
The B-52 Stratofortress, which entered service in 1955, is a long-range bomber designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.
It has been used in conflicts involving the US military from Vietnam to the current conflict in the Middle East.
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In an earlier statement, the base said the airfield had been closed, with all inbound aircraft currently being diverted.
It added: "All non-commercial visitor passes have been suspended until further notice to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations."
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