Two U.S. airmen rescued after giant B-52 bomber crashes into the Pacific
At least two U.S. airmen miraculously survived after a giant B-52 bomber crashed off the island of Guam last night.
Rescue crews were searching a vast area of floating debris for other survivors this morning, officials said.
The survivors' condition was not immediately available, a U.S. Coast Guard official said.
Six vessels, three helicopters, two F-15 fighter jets and a B-52 bomber were involved in the search, which had covered about 70 square miles of ocean, Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Elizabeth Buendia said.
Down: A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber, like the one that crashed, returning from a mission in Iraq
'We have an active search that's going to go on throughout the night,' she said.
The Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and local fire and police departments were involved.
The B-52 bomber based at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana was en route to conduct a flyover in a parade when it crashed around about 30 miles northwest of Apra Harbor, the Air Force said.
The Liberation Day parade celebrates the day when the U.S. military arrived on Guam to retake control of the island from Japan.
The Air Force said a board of officers will investigate the accident.
The accident is the second for the Air Force this year on Guam, a U.S. territory 3,700 miles south-west of Hawaii.
In February, a B-2 crashed at Andersen Air Force Base shortly after takeoff in the first-ever crash of a stealth bomber.
Both pilots ejected safely. The military estimated the cost of the loss of the aircraft at £725 million.
The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can refuel in mid air. Since the 160ft bomber was first placed into service in 1955, it has been used for a wide range of missions from attacks to ocean surveillance.
Two B-52s can monitor 140,000 square miles of ocean surface in just two hours.
According to the Air Force's Web site, the B-52 Stratofortress has been the backbone of the manned strategic bomber force for the U.S. for more than four decades.
It is capable of dropping or launching the widest array of weapons in the U.S. inventory, including cluster bombs and precision guided missiles.
