BREAKING: US Coast Guard helicopter crashes in Alaska, search and rescue underway

The US Coast Guard on Monday said a helicopter had crashed in Alaska, prompting a search and rescue operation. It is currently unclear how many people were on board the aircraft. 

The Coast Guard’s Arctic branch wrote, "The US Coast Guard is actively responding to a reported crash involving a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter that occurred today in Sitka, Alaska. First responders and search and rescue assets are currently responding. The safety, well-being, and rescue of our crew members is our absolute, immediate priority. The cause of the incident is not yet known. A formal investigation will be conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding the event." 

This comes one week after a B-52 Stratofortress crashed at California’s Edwards Air Force Base, killing eight people. 

The victims in that crash were identified as 40-year-old Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, a weapons systems officer; 34-year-old Maj. Alexander Davis, a weapons systems officer; 40-year-old Maj. Robert Dee, a pilot with the 419th Test Squadron; and 35-year-old Maj. Brad Hovey, also a 419th Test Squadron pilot. The list also included 32-year-old Jeromy Smith, a flight test engineer; 41-year-old Christopher Rischar, a contractor and flight test engineer; 50-year-old retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, who served as a Boeing pilot; and 53-year-old Col. Gregory Watson, a Boeing weapons officer and Air Force reservist.