Rescue operations underway after plane crashes in Alaska

Search and rescue operations are underway in Alaska, after a plane crashed near Fairbanks on Tuesday morning, according to Alaska officials, but no survivors have been found so far.

Two people were on board a Douglas DC-4 plane when it crashed into the Tanana River, according to Anchorage Daily News (ADN). 

The plane had departed the Fairbanks International Airport on Tuesday morning, and crashed into the river seven miles south of the airport. The plane then fell down a steep hill and caught fire, Alaska state troopers said.

A spokesman for the airport told the public to stay away while the investigation is ongoing.

“We acknowledge the ongoing situation involving the Douglas DC-4 aircraft on the Tanana River near Kallenberg Road,” the airport said in a statement. “Alaska State Troopers are actively leading the response and we are cooperating with them.”

The cause of the crash has not been determined, but a witness told ADN that he heard an explosion before the crash, and saw a plane with its engine on fire. He then heard another explosion and a crash.

Three National Transportation Safety Board investigators will be on site on Tuesday afternoon.