Aircraft

Rescuers are searching for survivors after a US Air Force Boeing B-52 bomber crashed into the sea off the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

The aircraft crashed at 09:45 local time today, the USAF states, northwest of the Guam coast. Emergency response teams are on the scene.

Six crew were on board the aircraft. The USAF is still awaiting details of their status but one local report states that two of the crew have been found, although their condition is unconfirmed.

The jet had been deployed to Guam’s Andersen air force base from its Louisiana station at Barksdale. The USAF says the deployment was part of the Department of Defence’s “continuous bomber presence mission” in the region.

No identification number has been given for the aircraft, which is said to have come down about 40km (25mi) from Guam. The USAF says an inquiry board will be established.

There are reports that the aircraft was due to participate in an event to celebrate Liberation Day on Guam, which marks the Second World War battle to recapture the island from Japanese forces in 1944.

Loss of the B-52 follows the 23 February crash, during take-off, of a Northrop Grumman B-2 bomber from Andersen. Around two weeks later, in early March, the base was also the scene of a landing accident involving a Rockwell B-1.