New Delhi, June 16 -- A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed on Monday shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California.

Edwards Air Force Base said in a statement that all eight crew members aboard were presumed to have been killed. The Air Force said the cause of the crash was under investigation.

The eight-engine, jet-powered aircraft, built to carry nuclear and conventional bombs, was on a routine test mission when it went down.

According to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives, Monday's incident marked the first crash of a B-52 Stratofortress since a similar bomber crashed on the Island of Guam in May 2016.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from News Point....