US B-52 bomber crashes after take-off, killing eight in California

A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed and burst into flames shortly after take-off during a routine test mission at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert, killing all eight people on board.

The aircraft went down on Monday while supporting the base's radar modernisation programme, sending a large plume of black smoke into the sky.

Aerial footage showed a scorched crash site with little of the aircraft remaining.

Colonel James Hayes, deputy commander of the 412th Test Wing, described the incident as a "horrible tragedy".

"We lost eight great Americans," he said. "This crash is deemed to be unsurvivable."

Emergency teams extinguished the fire and secured the area, while officials confirmed there were no injuries on the ground and that the crash was contained within the base.