JUNEAU, Alaska – A plane carrying former Senator Ted Stevens and eight others crashed in remote southwest Alaska, killing the longtime Republican lawmaker and four other people, authorities said.
Ex-NASA chief Sean O’Keefe was also believed to be aboard, but it was unclear whether he was among the dead.
Stevens’ family has been notified that the 86-year-old was among those killed in the crash Monday night, family spokesman Mitch Rose told The Associated Press.
Rescuers arrived on helicopter and were giving medical care to survivors, Alaska National Guard spokesman Major Guy Hayes said. He offered no additional details, except that there were potential fatalities.
Alaska officials reported that nine people were aboard the aircraft and that “it appears that there are five fatalities,” NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz told The Associated Press. (AP)