Eight people were killed when a US B-52 bomber crashed and burst into flames shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base, officials said Monday.

The aircraft was on a routine test mission carrying military personnel, government staff, and civilian contractors when it went down about 60 miles (95 km) north of Los Angeles.

“Edwards Air Force Base experienced a horrible tragedy, and we lost eight great Americans,” Col. James Hayes said.

He said the B-52 Stratofortress crashed “immediately after takeoff” and was engulfed in fire, leaving no survivors.

“After reviewing the footage of the crash, it was deemed that this was an unrecoverable crash and unsurvivable,” Hayes added.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Boeing said two of the victims were company employees and expressed condolences to the families.

The B-52, in service since the 1950s, remains a long-range heavy bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons and has been used in multiple US military operations.