At least 5 killed after planes crash mid-air over Alaska

All those on board two small planes died in a midair collision Wednesday in western Alaska, state troopers said.

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.

Troopers said the crash occurred northwest of the village of Russian Mission, 603.5 kilometres west of Anchorage. Responders at the scene have confirmed there were no survivors on either of the planes, troopers said.

The crash scene covers a large area that is accessible only by helicopter, said Clint Johnson, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska division.

The collision occurred just before 11 a.m. Wednesday, Guard officials said.

Johnson said an initial report was about a possible plane crash involving a Piper PA-18 in the area of Russian Mission, followed shortly after that with another report of another, separate plane that was overdue.

"And then subsequently, shortly after that, is when we started putting two and two together as far as a possible midair," he said.