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U.S. B-52 bomber crashes off Guam, 6 crew missing
44 minutes ago
A U.S. B-52 bomber that was due to fly in a Liberation Day parade in the
U.S. territory of Guam on Monday crashed into the Pacific Ocean soon
after take-off, news reports and officials said.
At least six crew members were missing, according to the website of Kuam
News, a local station.
The U.S. airforce said in a statement it had no information on the
status of the crew. It did not say how many people were on board the
bomber or give a reason for the crash, which happened at 9:45 a.m. (2345
GMT or 7:45 p.m. EDT), 15 minutes before the parade was about to start.
An air force official was quoted on the Pacific Daily News website
saying the plane was meant to take part in the parade.
July 21 is the day Guam commemorates its 1944 liberation from Japanese
occupation in World War Two.
The island, under U.S. control since 1898, is the only significantly
populated U.S. territory to have ever been occupied by a foreign power.
In February, a B-2 stealth bomber, which costs around $1.2 billion,
crashed at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. The two pilots on board
ejected safely.
(Reporting by Carmel Crimmins; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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