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Eight crew members were killed when a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber crashed shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base northeast of Los Angeles on Monday, according to CNN on Tuesday.

The crew consisted of a mix of military personnel, government officials, and civilian contractors.

In a statement, Edwards Air Force Base said that a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft carrying eight people on a routine test mission crashed shortly after departing the base at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time.

"The U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress was conducting a routine test flight when it crashed shortly after takeoff. Initial indications suggest there were no survivors," the statement said.

The accident is reported to be the deadliest involving a B-52 bomber since 1982, when nine crew members were killed during an experimental training flight from Mather Air Force Base near Sacramento.

//Petra// MF