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7 including state lawmaker dead after two planes collide in Alaska

The Federal Aviation Administration identified one of the planes as a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

7 including state lawmaker dead after two planes collide in Alaska

Representational image (Photo: IStock)

Seven people were killed, including a member of the Alaska state Legislature, after two planes collided in midair on Friday morning in the Alaskan city of Soldotna, according to the authorities.

The Alaska State Troopers said in a written statement that there were no survivors of the crash near the airport in Soldotna, a city on the Kenai Peninsula.

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The other plane was carrying four tourists from South Carolina, a guide from Kansas and a pilot from Soldotna, the troopers said.

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All seven victims were dead at the site except for one person who died while being transported to a hospital, according to the troopers.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified one of the planes as a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

Knopp, 67, was a Republican and a member of the state House bipartisan majority. Several colleagues expressed condolences.

The other victims were identified as pilot Gregory Bell, 67, guide David Rogers, 40, and the South Carolina visitors: Caleb Hulsey, 26; Heather Hulsey, 25; Mackay Hulsey, 24; and Kirstin Wright, 23.

Last year in May, the midair collision in Alaska happened near Ketchikan that left six people dead after two planes ferrying cruise ship passengers on sightseeing expeditions struck each other.

(With inputs from agency)

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