Former Sen. Stevens Confirmed Dead

A source involved in ongoing rescue efforts has confirmed to CNN that former Alaska senator Ted Stevens has died in a plane crash near Dillingham, Alaska.

The private plane carrying Stevens and a former NASA chief crashed Monday night in a rugged stretch of Alaska. At least five people were killed in the crash, and there are at least three survivors.

Dave Dittman, a former Stevens aide, first said that Stevens had died in the crash but later issued a clarification, according to ABC News.

Earlier, KTUU-TV reported, "Dave Dittman, a former aide and longtime family friend of former Sen. Ted Stevens, says Stevens was killed in a plane crash near Dillingham Monday night. Nine people were on board, including former NASA Chief Sean O'Keefe. Five people were killed in the crash, but other identities were not known, nor are the conditions of the survivors."

The plane carrying Stevens crashed during inclement weather in a remote part of Alaska as it took passengers on an annual fishing trip hosted by the former senator.

Former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe is also reported to have been on the plane.

In 2006, Stevens was rated 0% by the Human Rights Campaign for his multiple votes opposing gay rights.

Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in Senate history with 40 years in the chamber, lost his reelection bid in 2008 after being convicted on federal charges related to financial disclosures. The conviction was later overturned.

The Anchorage Daily News included a statement from the National Transportation Safety Board about the crash, which occurred at 8 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time on Monday.