Eight crew members are believed to have been killed after a United States Air Force bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an American base.

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).

In a statement, the base said that the bomber had been carrying eight people and that "initial indications are that the crash was not survivable".

It said that emergency response personnel were on scene and that officials are "working to account for all personnel". It added that the crash is currently under investigation.

Video from the scene showed a huge plume of black smoke rising near the base, which is located in the Mojave Desert, northeast of Los Angeles.

The military has not yet said whether the B-52 Stratofortress, a long-range bomber designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, was armed.

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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."

(c) Sky News 2026: Eight presumed dead after US B-52 bomber crashes shortly after take-off from base in California