US bomber crashes in Pacific

B-52s have been used by the US military since the 1950s

An American B-52 bomber has crashed into the Pacific, 25 miles (40km) north-west of the US territory of Guam.

A search is under way for six members of the plane's crew, coast guard officials say.

The plane was due to take part in events to mark the island's Liberation Day, commemorating the end of Japanese occupation during World War II.

B-52s are one of the oldest aircraft still flown by the US military. The cause of the crash remains unknown.

A spokesman for the US Coast Guard Section Guam, Lt Elizabeth Buendia, said local and military search teams were combing a large area searching for members of the plane's crew.

The site of the crash was marked by a large sheen of oil and floating debris, Lt Buendia told Guam's Pacific Daily News.