Four Airmen Killed in Military Plane Crash in Alaska

Four airmen were killed on early Wednesday evening when a large military cargo plane crashed at Elmendorf Air Force base in Anchorage, officials said on early Thursday.

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft went down at the end of the runway around 6.14 p.m. local time and was witnessed by many local residents. Large plumes of black smoke were initially seen rising from the scene, WireUpdate reports.

The cargo plane was in the midst of a training run on Wednesday carrying four people onboard when it crashed into the Air Force base, said authorities. No report regarding casualties has been released.

Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins said during a press conference on Wednesday night that the cargo plane does not have an eject option and it was unlikely that someone was able to escape. However, he also said he wasn’t privy to any details regarding to whether or not there were any fatalitys.

"It’s likely there are fatalities involved in this mishap," Atkins said.

Access to the crash site was closed immediately after the crash, which occurred at 6:14 in the evening.

The plane belonged to the 3rd Wing, which is stationed in Elmendorf. The crash occurred while the plane was performing a training demonstration for an upcoming airshow that same weekend, Seer Press informs.