On board a plane that crashed 325 miles southwest of Anchorage, was former Senator Ted Stevens and former NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe.
The Alaskan National Guard has been dispatched and has arrived at the scene and have begun treating casualties. It is believed that the plane was carrying nine passengers, and reports aree coming in of five deaths. It is still unclear if Stevens and O’Keefe are of those dead.
AP Report: Rescuers arrive to help Alaska plane crash victims
JUNEAU, Alaska — An Alaska official says military rescuers have arrived at the scene of a plane crash in southwest Alaska.
Authorities say the plane was carrying nine people, and that five were believed to be dead. Former Sen. Ted Stevens and ex-NASA chief Sean O’Keefe were believed to be aboard, but it was unclear if they were among the dead.
Alaska National Guard spokesman Maj. Guy Hayes says rescuers arrived on helicopter early Tuesday and were giving medical care to survivors. He offered no additional details, except that there were potential fatalities.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A plane carrying nine people crashed amid southwest Alaska’s remote mountains and lakes, killing five people on board, authorities said Tuesday. Former Sen. Ted Stevens and ex-NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe were believed to be aboard, but it was unclear if they were among the dead.
Reports from officials in Alaska were that nine people were aboard the aircraft and that “it appears that there are five fatalities,” NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz told The Associated Press in Washington.
A U.S. government official told The Associated Press that Alaska authorities have been told that the 86-year-old Stevens, a former longtime Republican senator, was on the plane. The official, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, says Stevens’ condition is unknown.
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UPDATE: Stevens is now being reported as a fatality.