US B-52 bomber crashes over Western Pacific

WASHINGTON (AA) – A U.S. bomber aircraft crashed over the Pacific Ocean Thursday shortly after taking off from an American air force base in Guam island, the U.S. military said.

The B-52H Stratofortress bomber crashed at 8.30 a.m. (0330 GMT) “on the flight line” at Andersen air base in Guam, a U.S. territory 3,700 miles (5,954.6 kilometers) south-west of Hawaii, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement.

All seven crew members survived and got away safely from the wreckage, the statement added.

The cause of the incident is under investigation, according to the Air Force.