Eight killed in charter plane crash in Alaska

Eight people died after a charter plane crashed at a remote military radar site in western Alaska on Thursday, the US ⁠military’s Alaskan Command said.

According to Reuters, a Cessna 441 operated by Anchorage-based air charter company Security Aviation crashed west of Cape Newenham LRRS Airport in Alaska around 12:15pm (2015 GMT), a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson ‌said.

The ⁠aircraft had departed from Anchorage International Airport and was bound for Cape Newenham, the spokesperson added.

The Cape ⁠Newenham facility is part of a network of remote radar sites that track ⁠aircraft in Alaska's airspace and along its borders.

“This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve,” said US Air Force Lt Gen Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defence Command Region and Eleventh Air Force.

Johnson said the information available at the time was preliminary.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center said it launched a search-and-rescue operation after receiving a report of an “aircraft incident” near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site.

The centre said it would provide more information as it became available.