A charter plane carrying eight people crashed near a remote radar site in western Alaska on Thursday, prompting a search and rescue operation, US officials said.
The aircraft had two pilots and six passengers on board, according to Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska region chief. He told the Associated Press that the condition of those aboard was not immediately known.
Plane crashes while approaching Cape Newenham
The aircraft took off from Anchorage and is believed to have crashed while approaching Cape Newenham early Thursday afternoon, Johnson said.
He cautioned that the information available so far was preliminary, with authorities yet to provide further details about what caused the crash or the people on board.
The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center said it launched a search and rescue mission after receiving a report of an "aircraft incident" near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site.
The centre said more information would be released when available. It did not immediately respond to questions about the incident.
The remote location of the reported crash site could make the search operation challenging, though officials have not provided details on the conditions at the site or the progress of the rescue effort.
Seven killed in separate Kenya helicopter crash
The Alaska crash came a day after a separate helicopter accident in northern Kenya that killed all seven people aboard, including five Americans, according to local police and the US State Department.
The victims included a Telemundo executive from the US-based Spanish-language network owned by NBCUniversal and the head of Ecuador's national intelligence service.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the helicopter crashed at 9:13 am while travelling from Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County. Six passengers and the pilot were on board.
An investigation into the cause of the crash was underway, the aviation authority said.
Local media reports said the helicopter went down in a rugged area near the foothills of Mount Ololokwe, a popular tourist destination in Kenya.
Authorities had not provided further details on the circumstances surrounding the crash as investigations continued.