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5 dead in mid-air collision over Alaska

Two small commercial planes collided mid-air in the USA state of Alaska, killing all five people aboard both aircrafts.

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Troopers did not say how many people were in the two aircraft, but the Alaska National Guard said earlier that there were a total of five on board the planes.

The collision took place near the towns of Bethel and Russian Mission, Alaska, about 376 miles west of Anchorage. Where the planes were flying to, and how they collided, is unknown.

Mid-air collisions are rare in the U.S. and most occur near airports.

According to the reports, the planes involved in the crash are a Hageland Aviation Cessna 208 Caravan and Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures Piper PA-18s.

Later in the day, an aircraft spotted wreckage of the two planes on the ground near Russian Mission, she said.

An Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the 207th Aviation Battalion, based out of Bethel, left about noon and flew to the scene, Olmstead said.

There were no survivors from the collision, Alaska State Troopers told ABC News. Two medics were on board the helicopter.

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In a press release Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation Vice President of Communications, Tiffany Zullkosky, said YKHC set up an Emergency Operations Center for the following two and a half hours, remaining in close communication with Alaska State Troopers to supply medical personnel, supplies, and emergency transportation.

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