Deadly Crash at Edwards Air Force Base

All eight people aboard a B-52 bomber that crashed Monday at Edwards Air Force base in Kern County, California are dead.

The base said it happened shortly after the aircraft took off during a routine test mission at about 11:20 this morning.

The crash is under investigation. As of 1 p.m., the base said the airfield had been closed and all inbound aircraft were being diverted. Visitor passes were also being suspended for the day “to focus entirely on emergency response operations,” the update said.

Edwards Air Force base is located about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

(Photo Getty Images)