A long range nuclear bomber lost an engine during a recent flight, the US Air Force has confirmed.

The B-52 "Stratofortress" lost one of its eight turbofan engines when it was around 28 miles from the Minot Air Force base in North Dakota, a spokesman said.

The aircraft, which is designed to hold up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of nuclear warheads, was not carrying any weapons.

It landed safely using the remaining seven engines.

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The eighth engine landed in an unpopulated area and no injuries were caused, the spokesman said.

He added that the crew "declared an in-flight emergency when the pilot discovered that an engine departed the aircraft."

He said: "There were no weapons on board and it was a local training mission. The aircraft landed safely with no injuries to the five personnel on board.”

The long-range bomber built to carry nuclear bombs over Russia during the Cold War , entered service in 1952 and is expected to remain a part of the US Air Force fleet until 2040.

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The last fatal crash involving the "Stratofortress" occurred in 2008 when the aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a training flight.